The songs of Mabel

Pacific People

By Angela McCarthy

FOR six and a half years Aunty Mabel sang the same line: “Life is a cabaret my friends, so welcome to the Tamure.” The Tamure Resort in the Cook Islands has closed but Aunty Mabel Burt carries on.

The lady with the booming voice and huge smile is still involved in most char itable or promotional functions that are held around Rarotonga. She is a force to be reckoned with as she strides about stage in bright colours teasing and

cavorting, or singing cabaret and Polyne

sian songs in her rich, varied voice. This big energetic woman is a born perfor mer. She is too loud and brassy for some people but where you love her or hate her you can never ignore her, and no one can deny she has a heart of gold.

Mabel’s roles varied. She is receptionist for the family electronics business, and mother of seven three of which are adopted. She hosts resort nights and other shows, runs talent quests and can often be found adding her vocals to the local band at the Banana Court Bar, sur prising tourists with familiar New Zea land Maori songs. What motivates this gregarious New Zealand Maori woman to put her talents to work so tirelessly in the Cook Islands? “My family,” says Mabel she has 15 brothers and sisters “and my background.” She was brought up on a marae in Kati Kati, New Zealand, and raised in a large extended family by an aunt. Her parents lived next door. She describes a loving, strong and passionate family life where the emphasis was on giving and being of ser vice. She is a great-granddaughter of Ngati Ranginui, of the Matatua Canoe, who declined the Maori kingship of New Zealand during the heady days of the King Movement in the 1830 s. Mabel’s history is important to her.

Singing has always been part of her life. Her father had her singing in pubs and at talent quests as a child. She mar ried at 17 because of an unwanted pre gnancy, but went on the Rotorua night club circuit while working during the day as a Maori youth community worker.

After six children and 13 years of mar riage that left her scarred physically and emotionally, Mabel ran away with her two daughters to her brother in

Greymouth.

Mabel still talks of that time with an ger. She recalls how one day she picked up a New Zealand Womans Weekly : “I read an article that seemed to be about me. My marriage was described on each page and I suddenly realised it wasn’t just my story but the story of 30,000

other women in New Zealand the story of a nightmare.” In Creymouth she put her life together again with the help of two important influences George Burt her present husband, and the

Baha’i religion.

It was the Baha’i religion that brought the Burts to Rarotonga. They attended a meeting where a request was made for Baha’i pioneers in the Cook Islands, and realised they had skills that could be of use in the islands.

Mable, by then, was reunited with her other children and her extended family in Kati Kati but was feeling claustrophobic. She decided she needed time for her new relationship away from family demands, so George and her changed their plans to move to Kati Kati and went to Rarotonga instead. Four of her children came with them. Within three weeks of their arrival Mabel was approached to make a guest appearance for the Miss Cook Islands show of 1982. The Tamure Resort then offered her work and she didn’t look back. She hopes that what she has done in passing on her skills as an entertainer, administrator, and in matters of youth, has been important.

Over the past five years Mabel and the Tamure resi dent band, the Pearly Stars, organised ta lent quests

through the

Cook Islands to encourage young people to recognise their natural talents and to gain the confi dence to use them. The out er islands have annual visits

from Aunty

Mabel, talent

scouting. While

on these trips Mabel received other requests for assistance — for children

needing a

break from their home or island environ ment. As a re sult George and her have fostered a number of young adults

offering them

a “neutral haven”. Outer

island teenagers have come and gone from the Burts. Three have stayed and are part of the family, However life took a tragic turn for Mabel the beginning of this year. Her mother died in New Zealand of Hepatitis B. The 42-year-old woman who helped promote the AIDS Awareness Concert in the Cook Islands last year, is under standably angry. “It is a dirt disease,” she said. “They (doctors) can’t cure dirt dis eases and yet they can do heart trans plants. It doesn’t seem right,” she said, A traditional mourning of one month with no public appearances has kept Au nty Mabel out of the public eye much of this year. It is something she hasn’t minded. Some of the old energy and spirit has gone.

“I love the Cook Islands,” Mabel says, lighting up another cigarette, “but I am not able to give anything here at the moment. I have run out.” With the Tourist Authority taking over the talent quest this year and no new projects on the horizon, it looks like the family and marae in Kati Kati will soon see her re turn. For the Cook Islands it will be a great loss. □

Life is a cabaret: Aunty Mabel hosts the Cook Islands Talent Quest, Tamure Resort.