Mike’s Muse: Andrew Ferrier and Fred Soar – with Thanks

Play It Strange has had a substantial string of board member trustees through the passage of time. And recently, two of them – both of whom retired, take with them significant reputations following their contributions in the craft of trusteeship at the Play It Strange board level . Their skill set of management and personnel mechanics has led to a vibrant board of trustees .

These two trustees are : Andrew Ferrier and Fred Soar.

I approached Andrew, who had recently come to NZ from Canada, this was some 20 years ago in regards to becoming a board trustee of Play It Strange. We met over a scrambled eggs breakfast in the Alphabet Café in Parnell, Auckland. He responded in an enthusiastic fashion and we talked about young citizens and the musical prowess that his three children proffered. It was clear that songwriting competitions were a creative environment that he saw much value in. And when his son Alex and I had a jam session one night he took a shine to the wonderful probability of how his managerial talent would be of a primary use once he sat at the Play It Strange table. And so it came to be. Andrew was appointed as a Play It Strange trustee on 21st November 2007

With a true sense of understanding – housing both musical proficiency and the creativity of songwriting, Andrew strode along the board of trustees path ensuring that Play It Strange wore a motivational drive. The national spread of songwriting competitions grew and flourished across New Zealand. Indeed – that happened and thousands of original songs written by young teenage New Zealanders tumbled in, out and across New Zealand in the flow of our songwriting competitions . It was a triumphant advance .

His many years as CEO of the global business of the dairy co-op Fonterra pointed to his business acumen. In essence, Andrew Ferrier is a mighty talent and secondary school songwriters and music teachers are truly in wonder at his contribution to the Play It Strange world.

The Chairman of Play It Strange in recent years has been Fred Soar. He was appointed on 15th August 2018 .

Fred was CEO of his family printing company, Soar Print. Fred made a major contribution to the Play It Strange board of trustees. His understanding of the world of original music was a powerful contribution to Play It Strange and it was backed up by his knowledge and cognisance of the environment that writing original songs when brought to the fore.

As well, along with this musical portion of his unique talents in an original song assembly, he is a musical man with special skills. Playing the drums is one of them. And his membership of an original band pointed to and highlighted his level in this regard. That skill is a strong one and Fred’s capability has been truly wonderful.

All of us at Play It Strange are truly grateful to Andrew Ferrier and Fred Soar for their contribution and support to the management and matriculation of all that has been evolving at Play It Strange. A vibrant programme has been brought to fruition and from my point of view, as someone who has evolved their life embedded to the world of original songwriting, they deserve to truly appreciated.