Sally Switzer was ‘great at knuckling down and getting job done’

An hour before the opening of The Miser of Mystery Creek Sally Switzer fell and broke her ankle. The show’s costumier – a ‘‘consummate costumier’’, in the words of one cast member – her contribution was vital. An ambulance was called to the Hamilton Gardens but until it arrived Sally kept going without alarm or sense of anything being out of the ordinary. She was ‘‘unperturbable’’, says the actor, demonstrating ‘‘then and always the best attributes of her native England – resilience, fortitude and self-deprecation with talent to burn’’. Her ankle was eventually fixed with a metal hinge and a resulting 8cm scar.

A thoughtful observer of people and life, renowned for her wit and clever turn of phrase, Sally Switzer had command of all the elements required to pull a theatrical production together. A strong work ethic, a grasp of details, a sense of cohesion and the whole, she was ‘‘great at knuckling down and getting the job done’’.

If time and circumstance meant that some costumes ‘‘were just tacked together’’, Sally had a profound understanding of the audience’s point of view. She knew what worked and what could be gotten away with. Hers was a talent that naturally complemented the playwriting skill of husband Michael.

In Hamilton theatre and pantomime, the Switzers made a formidable team.

Sarah Ann Elphick was born October 26, 1962 in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, the first child of Edward (Ted) George Elphick and Ann Marian Elphick (nee Browne). She became known as ‘‘Sally’’ at an early age, the family following the inclination of her maternal grandfather, who in effect renamed her as an infant.

Sally was an intelligent and loving child, who formed a close relationship with her two younger brothers.

She excelled at school and from an early age had the ability to assist and teach her peers skills she herself had learned. Family holidays often involved trips to ancient monuments, perhaps stirring her youthful imagination and grasp of aesthetics.

The Elphicks emigrated to New Zealand in 1973. Ten-year-old Sally enjoyed the ship voyage, retaining memories of port stops and Italian food consumed and thrown, the traditional spaghetti fight marking the crossing of the equator a particular highlight. Initial impressions of the family’s new home were less favourable: arriving April 24, the following day New Zealand was in effect ‘‘closed’’, an unforeseen complication.

After a brief stint in Auckland, the Elphicks settled in Tauranga, where Ted took up a position as an accountant at the Bay of Plenty Times. Their first house bordered the edge of a swamp and was not without physical peril. Sally was chased by a large neighbourhood dog, fell over a small tree and broke her leg.

Schooling was also a challenge. Sally’s reading proficiency singled her out for special instruction but her British accent led to bullying, with the school administration demonstrating little sympathy.

When the family relocated to an Oropi lifestyle block, a change of school meant the teasing now centred around being a ‘‘townie’’.

There were pluses and minuses in the small class sizes: Sally enjoyed the relative freedom but struggled to make friends. However, she led a full, adolescent life, assisting her parents with the transformation of the property, gaining an appreciation for alternative music via Radio with Pictures, reading, sewing and enjoying craft projects in the house’s sun room.

Sally’s passion for sewing was largely self-taught. Such instruction as she received came via a 1930s sewing manual. This and relative isolation contributed to her burgeoning, distinctive sense of style.

She began sketching and painting and making her own clothes.

Concluding her secondary education at Tauranga Girls’ High School, Sally enrolled at the University of Waikato, graduating with a Bachelor of Social Sciences in 1983, having majored in politics and geography. The university lifestyle proved of more lasting worth than the degree itself. Enjoying the benefits of living in Bryant Hall and a wider social circle than the rural Bay of Plenty could offer, she made lifelong friends.

Employment followed at the Inland Revenue Department in Tauranga, toil that provided financial security but precious little else. In 1986, Sally returned to the land of her birth, moving frequently, doing a variety of jobs whilst saving for trips further afield. Europe was explored and later Canada.

One job in England stood out. Work at a costume hire shop called Fairy Godmother utilised Sally’s sewing skills and creative flair. Years later, when living in Hamilton, she would find equal joy at Abracadabra Costume Hire, making costumes, often from scratch.

Returning to New Zealand in the early 1990s, Sally took odd jobs, including working as a baker at Pat’s Pantry Bakery in Tauranga.

With her parents’ assistance she purchased a small house. Needing a flatmate to help pay the bills, she met Michael Switzer, who was studying at Bay of Plenty Polytech. Sally and Michael began as flatmates and became good friends. Romance blossomed four years later.

After completing a printing apprenticeship at AUT, Sally found a full time job at Brebner Print in Hamilton. She purchased a house in Nixon St, one destined to become the family residence. Sally and Michael were engaged in 1997 and married in 1999, with a ceremony at Le Grand Hotel. Sally made her own wedding dress, adamant that she didn’t want to be married in white.

Sally and Michael’s son Alexander was born in 2001 and his brother Erik five years later. Tackling motherhood head on, she and Michael created a warm and caring environment, homeschooling as required, valuing support and empathy together ‘‘lots of tea and toast’’. She took justifiable pride in her sons.

Sally’s artistic talents extended well beyond those of the seamstress. She worked with fabric painting, hookwork rugs, stabby pin felt, embroidery, needlework and leather and always with her trademark flair and originality. Capable of creating spectacular fancy dress or baptismal outfits, she could equally craft dramatic props, turning such everyday items as jugs into ornate leather tankards.

Sally’s involvement in Hamilton theatre mirrored that of her husband, an actor, director and playwright. School productions, pantomimes, Christmas musicals, Shakespeare, translations of often obscure French plays and most of all, original work, all benefited from a creative partnership which saw Michael write and direct and Sally ‘‘clothe and do everything else really, including feeding the entire audience in a couple of cases’’.

At the annual Hamilton Gardens Arts Festival the Switzers more than once put on both a panto and a play, doubling the stress and the pressure. For school productions an additional challenge was the limited budget. Sally would spend hours scouring second hand stores that could clothe the large casts.

Pantos that Sally costumed included Puss in Boots, Ali Baba and Sleeping Beauty. Shows at Riverlea Theatre included She Stoops to Conquer, Catch Me if You Can and the truly memorable Noises Off. For the semiprofessional Hamilton theatre company Fullhouse, Sally costumed King Lear, The Merchant of Venice, The Miser of Mystery Creek, The Imaginary Invalid, An Italian Straw Hat, Lovepuke and Death of a Salesman.

One actor who was costumed by Sally on numerous occasions says ‘‘you could always rely on her to get it absolutely right’’. A stickler for detail, trousers were hemmed at the right length and the old school tie was the correct old school tie. She was equally adept at creating ‘‘Elizabethan gowns, or Grand Siè cle doctor’s wear, or Shakespearean Venice’’.

Comfortable being described as a ‘‘homemaker’’, a job she was supremely good at, Sally also took a variety of paid positions in later life, including relief cook, census taker and information person for Yates garden products in Bunnings, imparting her love and knowledge of gardening. She was the tea lady at the play centre group attended by her sons, continuing long after they had left. She was a very active member of the Knighton Normal School PTA, organising many a fundraiser. She also taught sewing to children.

Vivacious, generous and empathetic, Sally gave of her time and her talent freely. She was a cheerful person who loved to laugh.

Sarah Ann Switzer died suddenly on April 27, 2022. She is survived by her mother, her husband and her two sons.