Directed by Hugh Macdonald. Reviewed by Paul Sorrell 

At primary school, when Sheila Traill’s class was set the essay topic “Who I would Like to be When I Grow up?” Sheila decided that she didn’t want to be a princess or a film star, but herself. No Ordinary Sheila shows how she became herself to an extraordinary degree. An unpretentious film about an unpretentious person, it suggests that we all have the makings of a Sheila within ourselves.

A Jill of all trades — naturalist, writer, illustrator, historian, tramper, biker, sailor, astronomer — Sheila’s interests were connected by her adventurous spirit and unfailingly positive attitude to life. Escapades like swimming out to a seal colony or climbing the rigging of a sailing ship in her 80s were all in a day’s activity. Asked about her terminal cancer, she replies that others may “go under” when trials arise, but not her. “You just get on with it.” There is not a frame where the scene is not lit up by her broad smile and dancing eyes.

The film begins by sketching out her life: beginning with her Wohlers and Traill antecedents in the Deep South and her simple upbringing on Stewart Island. Schooldays in Invercargill were followed by teachers’ college and university training in Dunedin, where she befriended Janet Frame (who figures large in the narrative). Then to Wellington in the 1950s, where her artistic and writing talents were harnessed by the Correspondence School, followed by a long and productive careeer as the author and illustrator of numerous books.

The second half of the film chronicles her happy marriage to Gilbert Natusch, whom she met at the Hutt Valley Tramping Club, and their adventurous life which included a rugged cycle tour of the West Coast — from Picton to Bluff. We learn about the couple’s spartan life at their cottage in Wellington’s Owhiro Bay, where they enjoyed many happy years together — without a car, television or shagpile carpet — until Gilbert’s death in 2005. Sheila’s story is told through interviews with friends and filmmakers, old photographs and movie footage.

In one of the many letters between the pair, Janet Frame wrote that it seemed as if the natural world belonged to Sheila, and that she delighted in sharing it with others. Certainly her animal and plant illustrations have a vitality and appeal that reflect the personality of their creator.

Sheila died in August this year, aged 91. This affectionate portrait of a life well lived is a tribute to a remarkable New Zealander.

Tui Motu Magazine. Issue 222, December 2017:29.