Leah bought home a service-pamphlet:
FROM THE DEAN
We give thanks to God that despite all the traumatic devastation to properties and infrastructure there has been no loss of life. Our prayers are with all those who have lost their homes, whose homes and possessions have been damaged. We will all grieve their loss and for the loss of so many of our heritage buildings throughout the city. Most of all though our prayers are with each one of us as we deal with trauma that has hit us all.
What is most important now is that we reach out and care for one another in the best way we can. We need to talk to one another about what has happened; we need to reach across to our neighbours and offer support, food, cups of tea, fresh water... whatever. We also need to be aware that we are all feeling the emotional fallout from what has happened and seek to be understanding and patient with each other.
The Cathedral Visitors Centre has been reorganised into a drop in centre, where people may come in for tea / coffee, chat and prayers on the hour.
We will have priests on duty from 9.30am to 5pm each day. The Francis Room has been converted into a simple chapel and we will continue with our regular daily communion service there on weekdays at 12.05pm.
... We are still working on arrangements for regular Sunday services and the special services planned for the next few weeks. Keep an eye on our website or call the Cathedral on...
When the aftershocks subside, engineers will make another detailed examination.
We offer to God our full human response - disbelief, anger, sorrow and gratitude for the resilience of our communities. May God bring peace and hope into or troubled hearts so we may bring comfort to those in need. Peter Beck
Beck's pamphlet showed business-as-usual complacency. Annoying "Resilience" narrative by authorities & media! Rebuild vs heritage saga would continue for years.
Post 2011 quakes, Beck would briefly become a councillor, then would retire.
12.09.10. Message From The Dean, Christ Church Cathedral, interdenominational service, Cathedral Sq, state of emergency. Post 2011 quakes, the dean briefly became a councillor, then retired.
Late that Sunday afternoon Leah & I trekked a mini-cordon around damaged Manchester St, pivoting around Manchester Courts ghost. Absence of scowling cops & NZDF soldiers at plastic-tapes, plastic-barriers, road-cones & steel-fences enabled us to view damages stress-free. Never mind the intrusive cop-hut in Cathedral Sq outside Christ Church Cathedral & nearby Hereford St Central Police multi-storey. Yes, we were complacent too.
Cathedral Sq: Leah sat for a happy-snap on a trailer advertising the Rugby World Cup 2011. Trailer countdown board:
WEEKS DAYS HOURS MINUTES
51 4 21 41
COUNTDOWN TO
RUGBY WORLD CUP 2011
The 22 February 2011 quake would stop Rugby World Cup 2011 matches in Christchurch.
Mingling, we trekked Cathedral Sq, Colombo St & High St, then trekked Manchester St mini-cordon via Cashel St & Latimer Sq back to our car in Madras St.
Colombo St / Hereford St / High St crossing: Hanafins door, yellow-sticker:
WE WISH TO ADVISE THAT
THIS BUILDING IS NOT TO BE
ENTERED UNTIL FURTHER
NOTICE.
ENTRY IS AT YOUR
OWN RISK
SHOULD YOU HAVE ANY QUERIES
REGARDING ACCESS PLEASE CALL THE
CB RICHARD ELLIS SERVICE DESK ON...
Some shops were closed for safety reasons, some stayed open for business. Hanafins would be demolished post 22 February 2011 quake.
12.09.10. Quake damaged paving, Cathedral Sq, state of emergency
12.09.10. Only 51 weeks to Rugby WC 2011, Cathedral Sq, state of emergency. RWC fixtures would be relocated from Christchurch to other NZ venues, after the 22.02.11 quake trashed Christchurch AMI Stadium & hospitality venues, like hotels, pubs & restaurants
12.09.10. Chess players, Cathedral Sq, state of emergency. Christ Church Cathedral would be trashed by the 22.02.11 quake & later 2011 quakes.
12.09.10. Cathedral Sq refreshments after rubbernecking, state of emergency. Asbestos riddled BNZ behind would be part demolished post 22.02.11 quake & be abandoned for years before final demolition. Spark offices would be built on site.
12.09.10. No cops & NZDF soldiers at Sunday afternoon cordon, Colombo St / Hereford St, state of emergency. Hotel Grand Chancellor & Flour Power sculpture behind bus. Most bldgs in the pic would be demolished post 22.02.11 quake. The Flour Power sculpture would survive the 2011 quakes
12.09.10. Hot pants or a dress? Colombo St fashions, state of emergency
12.09.10. Hanafins door, Colombo St / Hereford St / High St crossing, state of emergency. The bldg would be demolished post 22.02.11 quake
12.09.10. Quake notice on Hanafins door, Colombo St / High St, state of emergency
Cashel St: Shop windows USAR / TF graffitied. Some shops orange-plastic-taped; steel-mesh-fence-cordoned, brick-rubble on road. Cashel St / Manchester St crossing: White-plastic-taped; orange-plastic-road-cone-cordoned; ROAD CLOSED sign. DANGER yellow, spray-painted on road. Parapet-bricks scattered in an alley, white-plastic-tape-cordoned. We trekked past multi-storey CTV, not knowing it would collapse in the 22 February 2011 quake.
12.09.10. USAR / TF yellow graffiti on Kebab Masters window, Cashel St, state of emergency. The bldg would be demolished post 2011 quakes
12.09.10. ROAD CLOSED. POLICE EMERGENCY. Cashel St / Manchester St crossing, white, plastic, tape cordoned, N view, deserted Manchester St by Manchester Courts, while Kiwi Thinking evolved, state of emergency. Most bldgs in the pic would be demolished post 2011 quakes
12.09.10. Steel mesh fence cordon. Quake fallen chimney, patched roof. Cashel St shops, state of emergency. The bldg would be demolished post 2011 quakes
12.09.10. Steel mesh fence cordon. DANGER quake damaged shops, Cashel St, W view, state of emergency. All bldgs in the pic would be demolished post 2011 quakes for CERA's Blueprint E Frame
12.09.10. Steel fence cordoned bldg, Cashel St, E view, state of emergency. Inland Revenue bldg right survived the 2011 quakes. Some bldgs on the left would be demolished post 2011 quakes for CERA's Blueprint E Frame
12.09.10. Fallen bricks, Cashel St alley, state of emergency. Mid right is part of the CTV bldg, which would collapse & burn in the 22.02.11 quake, killing 115 people. Bldgs on the right would be demolished post 2011 quakes for CERA's Blueprint E Frame
12.09.10. Green stickered Inland Revenue bldg, Cashel St, state of emergency. CTV bldg was reflected in IR glass doors. In the 22.02.11 quake, 115 people died when the CTV bldg collapsed & caught fire. CTV ruin would be demolished
Cashel St / Madras St: Inland Revenue glass-door, green-sticker & sign:
Christchurch earthquake -- message to our customers
Inland Revenue's Christchurch building has been affected by the Saturday morning earthquake. It is not yet known when it will be reopened. Inland Revenue is working to ensure that processes normally handled by the Christchurch office will be directed to other centres.
Inland Revenue wants to assure all customers that if you are due a payment from us, it will go through. Customers do not need to contact Inland Revenue. We will keep you updated via www...
Christchurch earthquake -- message to Inland Revenue staff
To staff in Christchurch - we hope you and your families are alright following the Saturday morning earthquake.
Our Christchurch building will not be open on Monday. Christchurch staff are advised not to try to come to work on Monday. A staff hotline has been set up on... It will be updated again from 10am Monday.
...Group Manager Corporate Affairs / Inland Revenue...
12.09.10. Inland Revenue quake notice, IR bldg, Cashel St, state of emergency
Madras St / Hereford St: Behind CTV, Arrow glass-door, rapid-assessment-sticker:
Project Name: ARROW BUILDING...
Date: 7/9/10
Reviewed By...
Work Reviewed:
RAPID STRUCTURAL ASSESSMENT
- WALK AROUND EXTERIOR, BASEMENT, ARROW
TENANCY
Observations and Comments:
- BUILDING SHOWS MINOR DISTRESS TO
STAIR WELLS, GIB LINNINGS [Sic]
- RECOMMEND 'GREEN TAG' SUBJECT
TO GLAZING TO EXTERIOR WALL MADE
SAFE [Smashed glass had lain on basement concrete for a week].
- BUILDING OKAY TO OCCUPY.
That sort of rapid-assessment would be castigated by the Royal Commission of Inquiry. It gave opportunities for engineers & building- owners to shift blame & do nothing. Post 22 February 2011 quake, Arrow would be demolished.
12.09.10. Bldg inspector notice, Latimer Sq bldg, state of emergency
12.09.10. ROAD CLOSED. Latimer Sq / Worcester St Sunday evening cordon, no cops, no NZDF soldiers, state of emergency. Background: Christ Church Cathedral tower would fall in the 22.02.11 quake. Some of the bldgs would be demolished post 2011 quakes for CERA's Blueprint E Frame
12.09.10. Steel mesh fence cordon. Quake damaged business parking, Madras St / Gloucester St, state of emergency. The bldg would be demolished post 2011 quakes
*Trekked Cathedral Sq, Colombo St, Cashel St, Latimer Sq. 20 snaps.
Facebook:
@Wayne. Snapped Leah in Cathedral Sq where a digital-countdown-clock counts the weeks, days, hours, minutes to RWC 2011 - 51 weeks to go. Most of NZ stadiums are ready. Lots of dummy-run matches going on in NZ, security-checks, road-controls, fan-controls, etc. AMI Stadium was undamaged by the quake, so RWC 2011 is full-on here. 1000s of workmen & building-inspectors roaming, checking, demolishing, repairing.
[Christchurch AMI Stadium & hospitality-industry would be trashed in the 22 February 2011 quake, so RWC fixtures would be relocated elsewhere in NZ].
Christchurch must now rebuild a better, safer city after demolitions. Watched a Manchester St building being demolished this morn in the CBD. A digger bashed it to bits, then scraped up rubble for haulage away.
ABs used the quake to come back & beat Wallabies in last weekend's match, as some ABs come from Canterbury. Saw No. 8 Kieran Read (winning try-scorer) [later ABs capt] on Papanui Rd yesterday. He was smiling, despite quake-damages. Satisfying beating Aussies, without Carter too. Weepu did well kicking. Another aftershock while typing, ongoing. 13 September 11.54am.
Before Darfield Quake, MP, little Jim Anderton wanted to be MP AND Christchurch mayor. Now that Council elections loom, little Jim decided IF elected mayor he'll resign as MP. After quake leadership by incumbent mayor Parker. 13 September 1.38pm.
[Mayor Parker would be re-elected. Anderton announced he would retire from parliamentary politics in 2011. Post 22 February 2011 quake, little Jim would be a Heritage-hailer, wanting to save Christ Church Cathedral]!
"A special commission to direct earthquake recovery work in Canterbury will be announced today" (The Press). Needed as I'm tired of State-of- Emergency military, cops, CD making undemocratic decisions. It would stop squabbling by Christchurch, Selwyn, Waimakariri Councils. 13 September 1.46pm.
Took Leah to Ground-Zero, Manchester St, cordoned behind Christ Church Cathedral. The cordon protected radio & TV buildings, an old brick jewellery shop & Manchester Courts ghost. Leah posed by a burnt out building, Worcester St, where PM Key & mayor Parker posed last week. 13 September 2.27pm.
Content & pics Copyright Mark JS Esslemont.
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