Mt Pleasant Pottery Group
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Pottery Club News

Clay Disposal

27/10/2022

 
​Hello all


Just an update for you all regarding use of club rooms. The clay disposal bins, and the red washing up bowl, have been removed. We now ask that you kindly bring a small lidded bucket for your clay water and cleaning up. If you could use your water to clean up your work area, and take this away with any waste clay/ slops in your bucket for recycling. Final wipe downs can be done with water from/into the sink, just not heavily clay contaminated stuff down the sink please. 

The reason we are doing this is with the numbers using the rooms clay bins were filling up so fast, more than we could dispose of or recycle - jobs that members & committee do voluntarily in their own time. We appreciate this is an extra request, and really appreciate your cooperation in making this change as it will make a big difference overall, and we're sure it will be easy once we all get used to the new routine. 

Whilst we are on cleaning, thank you to you all for your ongoing efforts with this, and a friendly reminder that all areas used including the floor around your wheel/ work area, need to be cleaned/ swept by the end of class, particularly important for Mondays when we have a short window between classes. We don't have the budget for cleaners so are reliant on all using the rooms to do their bit, so thank you again 

Looking forward to seeing you all at the AGM Tuesday 8th November from 7pm with the world famous (in Redcliffs) auction afterwards for a bit of fun. It is your club so please do come along, say hello and have a say in its running. :) 

Best wishes

your committee

Club reminder

11/10/2022

 
Hi everybody,
just a wee reminder, it’s club demonstration night tonight at 7pm on
Everything Paper Clay
Lesley Towart will be giving a demonstration of paper clay making along with some of its applications.
Why use Paper Clay? It has exceptional strength before bisque firing, it's light and can be made out of scrap clays. You can build large structures and add wet to dry clay. It's fast drying, versatile and can be filed, carved or drilled. It's ideal for slab work and tiles as it doesn't warp or crack when fired. It can be stored dry in flat sheets and then cut with scissors or a Stanley knife before joining or reconstituting. 
$5 koha
See you there

Royce McGlashen Talk
CPA  would like to invite your members to a talk by Master Potter Royce McGlashen on Friday 14th October from 7-9 pm in our clubrooms.  Royce will discuss with images the changing styles of ceramic work he has made through his pottery career looking at design and functionality.
The cost is $10.00 pp

RSVP  12th  October
www.canterburypotters.co.nz

Spring Newsletter 2022

6/10/2022

 

Hello to all members

​It is my turn as Co-chair to write the report for this newsletter.
It has been, not quite a year since I volunteered to co-chair with Angu last December and it has certainly been a learning curve for me along the way. Thankfully, Renate has been a huge help in providing guidance to both Angu and I.
​I am always happy to listen to any feedback/ suggestions from members so please email me or have a chat at any time. Following the last committee meeting held on Wednesday 21 September and following some feedback to the committee it seems timely to send a few general reminders to all club members:
*When purchasing clay, Please include the bag number and clay type in the reference details when paying. This makes it easier to reconcile the payments. Please make sure that clay is paid for promptly.
*Please make sure you clean up thoroughly after yourself if you are a key holder and using the clubrooms outside of class times.
​*Class attendees are also expected to participate in thorough cleaning of the workroom spaces at the end of every class.
​If we all make an effort to keep the wheels and workroom areas clean and tidy then is makes for a better workspace for all members to share.
​The working Bee was held on Saturday 24 September from 1 to 3pm. A huge thank you to Linda for coordinating the working bee and thank you to all the club members who turned out to help . We were a small but dedicated team but with 2 hours of hard work the rooms were looking much better, both inside and outside. Thank you to Jos who bought her water blaster along and cleaned the outside veranda and other areas. Thank you to Angu and Fleur who tackled the clay buckets and cleaned up the smelly old clay. I understand there is a new process coming soon to better manage clay waste so watch out for the details. Please come along to the next working bee if you haven’t been to one in the last year as many hands make light work!
​The AGM is coming up soon so please also take the time to think about participating in the committee, or offering to take on one of the many jobs that need doing to keep the club running smoothly. It is also a great way to get to know other members better and to give back to the club. We have a great facility and it can only get better.
Lesley Adams
Co-Chair
mppg_newsletter_spring_2022.pdf
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Update 1 October

3/10/2022

 
Hey team,
I would like to thank all the individuals that came to the working bee! It is with your help that the club rooms remain in such a beautiful state. 
We really can not run without the volunteers who donate their time to keep the club going.
Thank you

Reminder
Always sign in when you come into the club, even if it is just to pick up work. 
DO NOT take any tools or equipment from the club home. They belong to the club and should stay in the club.

​Wood Firing
A few *Wood Firing ONLY* glazes have been mixed up for the wood firing with Halswell pottery. 
There is a Shino, Celadon and a flaming red slip. What are these? Well, give them a google. 



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If you are interested in the wood firing on the 16th October please sign up here.
Wood firing glazes will be available on club evenings. If you can not make it to the club evenings, 
Please give me an email at anguchen96@gmail.com and we can sort out a time.

For more information about how to glaze, please see upcoming events on the club website.
All cone 7 glazes can be used in the wood firing, but do not expect it to come out as it would in the electric kiln.
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Clay Bins
We no longer have clay bins. You are expected to bring a bucket for your clay, clay slopes and some water. A 10 litre bucket will normally do.
The club does not have the resources to process clay from 90 odd members. 

After doing your potter, clean the clay off the tools you have been using in some water and pour this into your bucket.
If they are personal tools, these can be simply placed into your bucket for cleaning when you get home. 

Remove most of the clay from your workstation with the water from your bucket. Then wipe the work area once more with clean water which can go down the drain after.

AGM, Tuesday 8 November, 7pm
In preparation for our upcoming AGM please find last year’s minutes as well as agenda attached.
For a smooth and successful running of our club we are looking for people to join our committee, this can be in the capacity of general committee member or as an officer with a particular area of responsibility. If you are ready to contribute but don’t feel like going to committee meetings there are also an array of jobs for you to choose from. Please just check the attachment, all blank spaces in the middle and right hand column are up for grabs. To confirm your offer ahead of the AGM please just get back to Renate on rgaletzka@gmail.com.


Auction

As always the AGM will be followed by our World Famous Auction. To donate your contribution ahead of time please just drop it into Room 3 clearly labelled.


Key Lock Access
Key lock number will be changed at the start of term 4. If you are a key lock holder you will receive the new number in a separate email.

Please take care in managing access to our club rooms. The key lock box has been found unlocked a number of times recently.

Updates: September 1st 2022

1/9/2022

 
Hey everyone!
Hope you have all had a chance to go out and enjoy the sun! I know I have been trying to take advantage of the rays.
As always, when spring comes, the club gets busier and busier! Please read these updates and it is important if you are involved in some of the activities.
All updates will be posted on the website under club news.

Pit Firing

​I am busy most of the weekend, so I will start the pit firing bisque on Sunday Evening when I come back to town. Please have your pots on the members shelf ready to fire! 
The pots should be ready to pick up on the following Tuesday!! Exciting times.
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PIT/DRUM  FIRING INFORMATION FOR SATURDAY 10 SEPTEMBER 10AM
MAXIMUM POTS 5
Arrival time is 9.30 if you want to do a foil saggar.  Please note this is not necessary & you can get wonderful colour just by putting your pot in.  If you are doing a saggar please bring wide foil to wrap your pot & copper sulphate if you have some (you may find it in your gardening kit at home) & any other bits you may like to wrap with your pot.  I have a box of organic bits I am willing to share if you would like some.

If you are not doing saggar please come at 10am.

Please note you will all be required to help with the firing.  This includes carrying wood & other bits to the kiln etc & maybe even straightening the bricks a little on the walls of the pit.
You may need to bring your lunch as the estimated time of lighting the fire is around 11.30/12 or so. 
 I will price your group of pots before placing them in the pit & this money will need to be paid in cash on the day along with a visitors fee of $5.  Helen will be in charge of this &  she will have a book with these charges written in it.  You will need a change of $8 to $13 approx. (this includes the visitors fee)  The firing charge is small but depends on the size of your pots.
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If you have access to natural hardwood or un-tanalized offcuts of wood, dry seaweed, dry driftwood, dry small pine cones, walnut shells etc please bring on the day.
Also bring any organic bits, dried fruit skins, dry egg shells, dry pine needles etc along to put by your own pots in the pit.  Bits pulled from a copper scouring pad are also effective.  You can wrap copper wire tightly around your pot for a lovely effect as well.
Please listen to directions from our small pit firing team & do not attempt to do anything without their knowledge.  A list of rules has now been made for this firing & will be attached.

Look forward to seeing you there
Susan

Gallery Room Updates

The wonderful Sheila is in the middle of updating and cataloguing our pottery collection in the gallery/exhibition room!
Currently there is some tape on the glass and shelves where the pots are, PLEASE LEAVE THESE.
They are there for identification.

We are also looking for someone who is handy with a camera to take some photos for documentation. 
If it sounds like you, please give us an email or let Sheila know.
Anguchen96@gmail.com

Di's Demonstration 

Di is doing a demo on the 13th September Tuesday evening 7pm. This is an awesome opportunity to see a great potter at work! 
She will be showing some wheelwork with tips and tricks. I think everyone has seen the stunning work that new potters are putting out from her class..
Makes a person curious about all the knowledge the tutor is teaching!

Time: 7pm
Date: 13th September
Cost: $5

We are also looking for someone who can host the demo.
A host will make sure everyone is signed in and that Di has what she needs. 
They will also help tidy up and set up the room.

As a host, you can attend the demo for free!
Give me an email if you are keen!
Anguchen96@gmail.com

Shona's Slab and Slip workshop - October Sunday 30 th 9.30 to 3.30pm

A working workshop on slab platters with a coiled foot ring, a coiled vase, slip decorating 3 different
applications.
  1. decorating directly onto the work by brush, slip trailer, stamping etc.
  2. decorating on newspaper like a transfer, plan a design then rub it on your slab.
  3. decorating on a plaster slab, building up a picture sort of mono printing by putting clay over the
  4. top and making a vase, cup, earrings, napkin rings etc.
Materials to bring: clay that you are working with, small plaster bat if you have one, water
sprayer, clay tools, apron, towel, any slip colours, masking tape, sticky shapes circles, squares
etc., wax, rubber latex, Stamps, any glazed tile for mixing slips, scissors, newspaper. A smooth
slight curved dish glass plastic, an old wok that type of shape as we will be working on top of the
hump mould old towels for working with, brushes any, Eco shop have a good supply of curved
lamp shades. If you don’t have all of this we will share.
We may not get it all done, but you will have the knowledge to work at home.
Bring a shared lunch.
Cost $40
Email Shona for enrolments claytech1@gmail.com


The Estuary Trust’s Bird Expo

The Estuary Trust’s Bird Expo is on at the Mt Pleasant Community Centre. It is an exhibition of bird photos and paintings from local professional photographers and local artists, including Sheila Brown and Jo Ogiers.  We will have a Mt Pleasant Pottery Group table of items for sale also. Each item will need to have an estuary bird theme.
 If this is something that you are interested in contributing to, then contact me, stace.rod@gmail.com or 0211829600
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Paper Clay Demo - Tuesday 11th October 7pm - 9pm

Why use Paper Clay? It has exceptional strength before bisque firing, it's light and can be made out of scrap clays. You can build large structures and add wet to dry clay. It's fast drying, versatile and can be filed, carved or drilled. It's ideal for slab work and tiles as it doesn't warp or crack when fired. It can be stored dry in flat sheets and then cut with scissors or a Stanley knife before joining or reconstituting. 

Lesley Towart will be giving a demonstration of paper clay making along with some of its applications.

Wood Firing

We have also been invited to the Halswell wood firing! This is a great opportunity to do some firing in a reduced atmosphere and also meet some people from both clubs!
The firing is on the 16th October 9am start. The kiln will be stacked on Friday the 14th October.
Pots should be glazed on the inside with a splash on the outside. Leave some naked clay so the wood can color the pots.

The roster is Sunday 9am to 12 12pm to 3pm 3pm to 6 or later
We will require 4/ 5 people on each shift on each firebox taking turns getting wood ready and opening
the lid and putting in the wood this can be hot work as it is good to share the load.
Email Shona: claytech1@gmail for your rostered time.
This new date will give you all a bit more time to make your work.
Requirements are. pine cones, bring water and your lunch if on lunch duty. Long sleeves and trousers
and a band or hat to keep hair in, leather gloves.
You can use your usual glazes inside and a splash outside. It is best not to glaze all the outside as we
want the wood and ash to work on the naked areas. You can use glue squeeze on the top part of your
pots and sprinkle wood ash over, this will make a sort of decoration add interest to your work.
Google wood fired pots and see what others have done. 

Cheers Shona

Addition: I am planning on making some Shinos and Celadons as instructed from Shona. These glazes will be available at a later date for people to put on their pots for the wood firing - Angu

Stacked Garden Sculpture Class

 We have a new 8 week class coming up in October!! Stacked Garden Sculpture class.
Please find more detail in the image below.
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Updates and News 23rd August 2022

23/8/2022

 
Hey Potters,


With August nearly over and the club events ramping up like there is no tomorrow, another update is due!

The following updates can be found on the website under club news as well.

Programme reminders
Sat10th Sept  Pit and Saggar Firing
Tuesday 13 Sept, Wheel work Demo with Dianne Macdonald
Sat 24 Sept, Working Bee 1-3 (afternoon only)

Paper Clay Demo - Tuesday 11th October 7pm - 9pm
Why use Paper Clay? It has exceptional strength before bisque firing, it's light and can be made out of scrap clays. You can build large structures and add wet to dry clay. It's fast drying, versatile and can be filed, carved or drilled. It's ideal for slab work and tiles as it doesn't warp or crack when fired. It can be stored dry in flat sheets and then cut with scissors or a Stanley knife before joining or reconstituting. Lesley Towart will be giving a demonstration of paper clay making along with some of its applications.

16th October -  Wood Firing with Halswell Pottery
Find more information on the club website.

Birds of our Estuary - Exhibition
The Estuary Trust’s Bird Expo is on at the Mt Pleasant Community Centre. It is an exhibition of bird photos and paintings from local professional photographers and local artists, including Sheila Brown and Jo Ogiers.  We will have a Mt Pleasant Pottery Group table of items for sale also. Each item will need to have an estuary bird theme. If this is something that you are interested in contributing to, then contact me, stace.rod@gmail.com or 0211829600


Sculpture Festival 2-16 September
The Arts Centre Sculpture Festival is on again! This is an awesome chance to see, attend and witness some beautiful sculptural art! This years lineup of events are awesome.
The ones that stand out to me are 
  • Takaaki Sakaguchi's workshop on slab construction
  • Patrick Barry's 3D modelling with a focus on stone carving and clay modelling
  • Tatyanna Meharry's demonstration with local earth materials in cermaic art practice
All of these events are only $10!!! That is unbelievably cheap for the expertises that these people have! 

Pit Firing Demo Night Postponed

8/8/2022

 
Update that pit firing demo night has been postponed till next week Tuesday (16th August). 
Hope everyone can still make it! We have Halswell Pottery joining us as well so it will be a great chance to mingle.

August Updates and News

6/8/2022

 
Hey team,
I know it hasn't been long since the last update but more things are happening. It feels like as we get closer to spring, the pottery community is slowly picking up again. 

Needed:
Do you have unwanted cotton pillow cases? Mount Pleasant wants your old pillow cases for clay recycling! Give us an email if you have any.
Anguchen96@gmail.com

Website - Struggling to find the email updates after reading them? Well... the updates will also be uploaded onto the club website now under club news!

Xgaleri exhibition
With the amount of rain that is falling down, why not visit an exhibition this weekend or next? Xgaleri has an exhibition on showcasing some of the local pottery talent around! 
There is work from  Shona Clarkson, Susan Blackburn, Leigh-Ann Smith, Sheila Brown, Jackie Foulkes and Dianne Macdonald! Please come and show some support!
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​Pit firing reminder
Reminder that this Tuesday demo night is all about the pit firing coming up! Make sure to attend to get all the information requried for the day.

Wood Firing

We have also been invited to the Halswell wood firing! This is a great oppotunity to do some firing in an reduction atmosphere and also meet some people from both clubs!
The firing is on the 1st October 8am start. The kiln will be stacked on Friday the 30th September and all pots will have to be in on Thursday the 29th September.
Pots should be glazed on the inside with a splash on the outside. Leave some naked clay so the wood can color the pots.

Keep your eyes open for some more information regarding the firing and what glaze to use.
Note that you will be required to help with the firing in its many steps. This could include chopping wood beforehand, stoking the fire on the day or anything else that needs to be done. 
A roster with jobs will be coming out closer to the time.  There is a document attached with some basic information.

Please no children at any of the firings at Halswell pottery. There is a number of dangerous hazards during the firing and is not a suitable environment for children.
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​Artist development workshops
If you are interested in developing your career as an artist, Linwood Arts East side gallery are holding some workshops centered around this.
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July Updates 2022

31/7/2022

 
Hello everyone,

Hope you all have been keeping dry in July. This is just a quick update since it has been awhile since we had the last.

Exhibition
Great work to everyone who was involved in the exhibition. The exhibition could not have happened without the volunteers, participants and all the people who brought their family and friends to the exhibition. 
I heard around 50% of the work was sold. This is a great achievement! 
If you had work that was not sold, please pick it up from the kiln room if you have not done so. 
If you brought a piece, please pick it up from the kiln room if you have not done so.
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Club Nights
Tuesday 9th August 7-9pm - If you are interested in the wonderful world of pit firing, please come to this demo night where Susan Blackburn will be going over the preparations required for your pots. 
Tuesday 13th September 7-9pm - Wheel work from the fabulous Di Macdonald. This will be a great opportunity to see the process, tips and tricks of a talented potter

Pit Firing 
 Pit firing with Halswell pottery at Halswell on the 10th September Saturday. 
Please come to Tuesday club demo on the 9th August to find out more


Nelson Clay Week
There seems to be a lot of awesome and inspiring things happening in the New Zealand clay scene. Some of the people in the forefront of it all will be at the Nelson Clay week. 
There will be demonstrations and workshops throughout the week. This is a great opportunity to meet up and learn from some of the potters around NZ. 

https://www.nelsonclayweek.nz/

https://www.instagram.com/nelson.clay.week/
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XGaleri Pottery Exhibition
An awesome change to come and see some great work from some local potters. Many of these potters are in our very own club!
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MPPG Winter Newsletter 2022

31/7/2022

 
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To read more, please download the PDF attached
mppg_newsletter_winter_2022_.pdf
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Newsletter - Autumn 2022

19/7/2022

 
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Read the rest below
mppg_newsletter_autumn_2022.pdf
File Size: 1342 kb
File Type: pdf
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Newsletter Spring/Summer 2021

15/11/2021

 
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Read the rest of the newsletter here

Halswell Wood Firing 2021

16/10/2021

 
​Wood firing is a long and labour intensive process but man is it fun! On an October Saturday morning, Halswell pottery began feeding the beast, a beautiful downdraft wood fire kiln. With around 100 pots stashed in its belly, and a year's worth of donated wood, it was only a matter of time before the beast started roaring with glee. 
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​Members of Mount Pleasant Pottery Group were sprinkled through the roster to feed the beast and that we did. Bundles of fast firing pine were initially thrown into the fireboxes. One big log on the left and small pieces on the right. The idea was the big logs provided a steady heat while the small pieces sent the temperature up. It did not take long before we could hear the beast chugging down oxygen as it greedily devoured the wood. At this point, it was important to know how fast the temperature was rising, and without a pyrometer.. We had to do it the old fashion way, by eye and cones.

​A quick peek into the belly of the beast and we saw it all. Flames licking pots, pots glowing bright red, cones bending to praise the kiln gods.. At about cone 6 (1240C), the fun stuff was put in. This included cedar wood, cabbage tree leaves, pine cones, pine needles and eucalyptus bark. These materials would crackle and pop in the firebox and send ash throughout the chambers where the pots were sitting. The chimney damper was closed to allow the ash to circulate through the chambers, enticing the ash to stick to pots, melt and form a glaze.
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​A total of 8 hours of nonstop feed was demanded to satisfy the hunger of the beast. It then took a further 24 hours before it slept, and we could finally open its belly to inspect what goodies were produced. I encourage more members to participate in the wood firing next year as the results are so much fun and liberating… e.g. no idea what we were going to get… 
 

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First Class of 2020 - New World Social Group

10/2/2020

 
On Friday 7th February, Brenda took a group from New World for a Team Building exercise. A great night was had by all. Some photo's below.

The club is open to providing social activities for small groups; contact through this web site if you haven't a contact number.
​

Pottery group’s changing shape

20/11/2019

 
The Bay Harbour News recently published this article, written by Renate, after our very successful exhibition.

WHEN THE Mt Pleasant Pottery Group was founded in 1960, it was known as the Betty Crocker Potters. 
This was because members used commercially-supplied materials from Smith and Smith, rather than digging them out of the ground as purist potters did. 
The group once operated out of a hut across the road from the Mt Pleasant Community Centre. 
As the club expanded over the years, it typically had an active membership of about 60 to 80 and exhibitions were big affairs. Over time, the club acquired considerable assets, including a gas kiln, salt-firing kiln and a large wood-firing kiln. 
Believed to be the oldest pottery club in Christchurch, the group celebrated its 50th birthday before the earthquakes. 
The February 22, 2011, quake rendered the former Mt Pleasant Community Centre clubrooms unsafe, so for a number of years it was a very difficult time. Class activities continued to a limited extent in a member’s private studio in association with workshops held as part of the Otago Polytechnic Diploma in Ceramic Arts distance learning. 
The group will forever be thankful to Shona Clarkson for keeping these activities going. 
Finally in 2016, a then very small but dedicated group of members relocated to the Phillipstown Hub as it was unable to secure rooms in the newly-rebuilt community centre. Members occupied a classroom-sized space and a kiln shed. 
Since then, the club has steadily been re-growing and presently runs five regular classes, children’s classes, club days, raku firings, weekend workshops and more. One of the regular highlights used to be the yearly exhibition at the Mt Pleasant Community Hall with an out-of-town exhibitor who would open the evening. The group had not held an exhibition for a number of years, but felt it was time to reintroduce it to the yearly calendar to celebrate the group’s achievements, its creative members and a beautiful craft. 
The exhibition was held last month at the Mt Pleasant Community Centre with guest potter Neil Hey, who put his works on show. 


PROGRESS: Renate Galetzka giving a demonstration of engobe decoration at the Mt Pleasant Pottery Group. 

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Mount Pleasant Pottery Group Incorporated
​

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Christchurch, New Zealand
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