Walk through the doors of the Marlborough Multicultural Centre on a Wednesday morning, and there's a good chance you'll meet Clare Bowes - warm, engaged, and always keen to connect across languages and backgrounds.

Many in our community know Clare for the creative legacy she carries with her: more than four decades as a children's book illustrator, helping shape reading for generations of young learners across Aotearoa and beyond.

Clare grew up in Auckland and trained as a teacher before following her true passion to art school. In 1966 she moved to Wellington with her husband and their six-week-old daughter, beginning a three-decade chapter in the capital. She balanced freelance artwork with raising young children, before joining School Publications within the Ministry of Education. Though skilled in graphic design, her heart stayed with illustration - bringing warmth, colour, and wonder to beloved resources like Ready to Read and the School Journal.

Clare's work naturally reflected her appreciation for cultural diversity. Over the years she contributed extensively to Māori publications, helping tamariki see their own heritage and stories reflected on the page.

In the 1990s, her expertise took her further afield. Over three trips to Vanuatu, she ran workshops with local teachers, illustrating and producing books grounded in their own community culture. Later, with the international section of Learning Media, she travelled to the United States to present at conferences and visit bilingual Spanish schools - work reflected in bilingual readers such as Elena hace tortillas and !Yo como nopales!.

After finishing at Learning Media in 2003, Clare and her husband spent over a decade retired together in North Canterbury. Following her husband's death in 2016, Clare moved north to Blenheim on her own in 2018, to be closer to family - her youngest daughter and grandchildren live here in Marlborough.

Seeking connection and driven by a love of languages, Clare joined MMC in 2019. Drawn in by the warmth, open doors, and vibrant community spirit, she found both companionship and purpose. Through English Language Partners (ELP), she became a volunteer tutor, bringing the same patience, encouragement, and visual storytelling skills that defined her long career to every session.

For Clare, the weekly morning teas are a genuine exchange.

Marlborough Multicultural Centre  |  manager@mmc.nz  |  www.mmc.nz  |  21 Henry Street, Blenheim