Bluff nets raw talent for special calendar

BARRY HARCOURT/The Southland Times

GOOD LORD: Mr May, otherwise known as Hank Low, and sidekick Lord Munta have stripped bare for a calendar to raise money for the Bluff Community Pool.

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Bluff fishermen have posed in the buff in support of the town's floundering swimming pool.

The 2011 calendar, organised by Bluff women Jean Jablonski and Lorraine Bowen is in the spirit of Calendar Girls, with a fishing twist, and has called on the talents, and looks, of Bluff's finest.

Ms Jablonski said people she never thought would have considered it had put their hands up and pulled their pants down and their shirts off.

"But if it had been for anything else I don't they would have."

All profits from the calendar will go towards the pool, which the Invercargill City Council has indicated will close unless $1.1 million can be raised.

There were some surprises in the calendar including a fisherwoman, she said.

All pictures and poses were tasteful and the line was drawn at full-frontal nudity, Ms Jablonski said.

One of the models, oysterman Hank Low, or Mr May, said although undressing for the cameras was not a hobby, or a career move, once he knew what it was for there was no hesitation.

"Our parents helped raise a lot of money to get the pool. It would be shame to see it fall by the wayside."

It would be ridiculous for a port town to be without a pool. Children in Bluff needed to learn how to swim for their own safety, he said.

He had to set aside his inhibitions for the photo shoot but it was "only a few minutes of pain".

For his part, he was happy with the outcome, he said.

Up to 7500 calendars will be printed and revealed at the Bluff Oyster and Food Festival on May 22. They can be bought for $20 and, with a gold coin donation, be autographed.

Festival chairman John Edminstin said a second part to the pool fundraiser was that donations to the fund from stallholders, bands, performers and groups involved with the festival would be matched by the festival committee.

- © Fairfax NZ News