My Account
If Pearl Runga suffers from ‘middle child syndrome’ – feeling left out and neglected – then she does an impressive job of disguising it. Squeezed between two famous sisters – Boh and Bic – Pearl seems more than comfortable with her lesser-known status. She is enormously proud of her siblings and says she can’t ever remember any feelings of rivalry in the family. While music is also a big part of her life, she says her role and responsibilities as associate principal of Stanmore Bay School’s Middle Whanau give her a huge sense of satisfaction, as she explains to Jannette Thompson ….
I started teaching at Bayfield, in Herne Bay, and then spent some time at Northcote Primary before shifting to Stanmore Bay eight years ago. There are lots of things I love about teaching, but if I had to narrow it down I’d say it’s the feeling that you can make a real difference in a little person’s self-confidence and self-worth. Sometimes all it takes is a word of encouragement or a bit of help at the right time, and you see a little spark. It’s amazing when that happens. I teach Year Three, mostly seven and eight years olds, and learning respect – for themselves and each other – is an important part of my whole classroom philosophy. They’re at the age when they can begin to learn to work as a team and it’s important that they start to see that if something’s worth achieving, then it takes hard work. I use music a lot in the classroom; the kids are always singing and performing, and I find songs are a great way to teach a range of subjects.
Music was a big part of my life when I was growing up. In fact, it’s how my parents got together in the first place. My Dad, Joe, who passed away eight years ago, was in the NZ Army and his special unit was stationed in Malaysia during the Vietnam War. He was on leave when he went into the fancy hotel where Mum worked as a professional singer. When his overseas tour was over, he brought her back to Christchurch. She must have found it a very quiet after the vibrant life she’d been leading in Malaysia. As far as I know, she never performed in NZ but there was always lots of singing in the house – everything from Chinese opera to Cliff Richard and the Mamas & the Papas. Dad was a self-taught pianist and a great singer too. I think he was the one who really encouraged us girls to get into music.
Dad’s family are Ngati Kahungunu, from the Mahia Peninsula on the East Coast, but because of the distance, we never really had much to do with our Maori heritage when we were growing up. I’ve often thought I’d like to find out more, perhaps extend my knowledge of te reo beyond the basics that I teach in the classroom, but having a four-year-old keeps life pretty busy and I never seem to get around to it. My sisters and I grew-up at Hornby, which is a pretty multicultural place these days, but back then there weren’t many other Maori or Chinese families around. I guess we did stand out but I can’t remember it ever being a problem. I think we were more likely to be identified as “those singers” rather than any reference to our ethnicity. Bic and Boh’s names are Chinese, but all three of us have a precious stone in our names – Bic’s first name is Briolette after the famous diamond and Boh’s is Sapphire. The only thing I remember about our childhood, that was different from other kids in the neighbourhood, was Mum’s cooking. She used to make us interesting Malaysian dishes and I don’t think there were too many other people eating chicken’s feet back then!
We’ve all been in bands since we were at school and we’ve worked with one another on lots of occasions, but it’s rare that we all perform on stage together. I don’t why, it just hasn’t happened often. We’re quite similar in lots of ways and people do get us confused. I’m the shyest and I suppose that’s why I knew I never wanted to be a performer like they did. Bic is a little shy, too, but not Boh. Because I’m quite a private person, I couldn’t handle being recognised wherever I went. Imagine having to put make-up on every time you went out of the house just in case you ran in to a fan who wanted a photograph! The other difference in terms of performers is that Boh and Bic are both songwriters, while I leave that side of things to my husband Justin.
The music industry is a really diverse community and what’s good about it these days, is that you don’t necessarily need a recording company to get your music heard. You can become really well-known through the internet which is great for performers who want to be a bit more experimental or do music that’s a bit different. Recording companies want music that’s commercial, that will sell. Bic’s been fortunate in that regard because she has a recording company that understands that, for her, the artistic process takes a long time. They accept that there are big gaps between albums because she really does know what she wants to write and it takes time.
Justin and I were in a band called Amez Amez in the 1980s. It was a bit of a family affair because Boh sang in it for a while and Justin’s brother Andrew was the drummer. We were all at a Simple Minds concert in 2009, enjoying all the old music, when Boh suggested we get Amez Amez back together again. It was a bit of a whim, but we did it and had a lot of fun. We’re touring quite regularly now, doing all the old favourites from groups like Duran Duran and Eurythmics. We do regular gigs, as well as a few charity events, and we recently played at a fundraiser for the Orewa Surf Life Saving Club. It was held at Orewa College’s events centre, which is a great venue. Music is the thing that all my family and friends have in common. It’s a very supportive environment. My sisters often play their new songs to the family first and we all try to help one another creatively. Sometimes if Bic’s recording, Mum, Boh and I will go along to the studio just to be there and show our support.
