Looking back to the future

Wednesday, 17 February 2016

It starts with a low rumble that accelerates rapidly to shake us out of business as usual, but how many are listening or want to know anymore?

We may have answers to some of these questions next Monday.

22 February 2016, five years after the big one in 2011, many will return to join their old communities at riverside commemorations to reflect on what was, what in many cases still is, and what could be…

The riverside where Medway Street meets River Road is one such River of Flowers site – the place where the iconic footbridge sat in all its contortions of twisted metal.

At the first anniversary in 2012, the 3 metre high multi-coloured cross, symbol of the diverse burdens experienced by the mule-coloured zoning decisions, was bound to the munted Medway Street bridge and became the centrepiece backdrop of that year’s commemoration.

Those of us organising the event were not quite quick enough in taking the cross down that year and sometime during the course of the evening it was untethered from the bridge and cast into the river by persons unknown.

We searched the river bed but found no sign of it. We thought that was the end of the matter – 22 February was the first day of Lent in 2012.

However a little over six weeks later on Easter Sunday, the cross washed up on Southshore beach and was recognised by local resident Bernie Calder who returned it to us. It has featured in River of Flowers commemorations at Medway Street ever since.

Rev. Mike Coleman who created the cross said after its return in 2012, “the river has been blessed – it needs to be a park now mate!”

Avon-Ōtākaro Network (AvON) has been advocating for such a city-to-sea river park in the Avon River-Ōtākaro red zone since mid-2011.

The network collaborates with Healthy Christchurch and Flourish Inc. to coordinate 20 community River of Flowers commemorations alongside the waterways throughout greater Christchurch.

Each site is unique – several have lone pipers who play Amazing Grace after the two minutes silence at 12:51pm.

Each year the site at South New Brighton near the jetty has young Tama from Aranui piping for them – he is now a much-loved integral part of that event.

River of Flowers coordinator Michelle Whitaker explains, “It’s a time to reflect on those who lost their lives, were injured or lost their home and communities. And it’s a time to look with hope to the future.”

“Being the fifth anniversary, and following our shake-up call on Sunday, we expect this year’s River of Flowers to be big,” says Evan Smith Co-Chair of AvON and site host for Medway Street.

“We are expecting over 250 local primary and intermediate students to participate at Medway Street this year, singing waiata and performing haka. While a couple of kilometres upstream 800 students from Avonside Girls will be lining both banks outside the school for their commemoration.

“It has a lot of meaning for both present and previous residents of the area, ” says Smith.

A complementary event, Bloom, is taking place at Canterbury Museum throughout the month of February.

www.flourish.org.nz/river-of-flowers.html)

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