Saturday, January 22, 2011

Halswell School, post Boxing Day Quake demolition & rebuild

Halswell School focus. 1996. After we'd moved from Sumner to Oaklands, our sons went to Oaklands Primary near our Nottingham Ave, Halswell rental. During the 8 years we lived at Oaklands, we saw Oaklands & Halswell develop.

04.09.10. Halswell School was damaged by the M7.1 Darfield Quake: damages to classrooms, office, staffroom block, school field damage, surrounding roads, paddock damages.

23.01.11. Four months post Sept 4 Darfield Quake & a month post Boxing Day Quake: As Leah had taught at Halswell School & as I'd snapped Darfield Quake damage at Halswell School & environs, I drove to Halswell School to see repairs, if any.

Halswell Rd, School Rd: Tarseal patches. Steel mesh fence cordon. Demolition in progress, yellow digger smashing concrete foundations. Digger vibrations shuddered underfoot, like quakes. Some classrooms gone, demolished. Leah's old classroom by Halswell Rd entrance gone, demolished. Staffroom, office block, gone, demolished. Rubble pile on demolition site by playground climbing equipment.

Kennedys Bush Rd: New school entrance (old back gate). Road also tarseal patched. New prefab classrooms, prefab offices / staff room had been erected by the gate, prefabs extending half way round the school field. Liquefaction mud on school field.


23.01.11. Demolished Halswell School, Halswell Rd, 4 months post Sept 4 quake. Wife's demolished classroom was behind the sign.


23.01.11. Steel mesh fence cordon. Demolished front entrance, Halswell School, Halswell Rd, 4 months post Sept 4 quake. Wife's demolished classroom was by the steps


23.01.11. Steel mesh fence cordon. Demolished Halswell School front entrance, classroom & playground, Halswell Rd, 4 months post Sept 4 quake. Wife's demolished classroom was by the steps.


23.01.11.Steel mesh fence cordon. Halswell School & playground demolition site, Halswell Rd, 4 months post Sept 4 quake


23.01.11. Steel mesh fence cordon. Gate signs, Halswell School demolition site & playground, Halswell Rd, 4 months post Sept 4 quake


23.01.11. Steel mesh fence cordon. Halswell School demolition site, Halswell Rd, 4 months post Sept 4 quake. Wife's demolished classroom was by the demolished wall


23.01.11. Demolished Halswell School & playground, Halswell Rd, 4 months post Sept 4 quake


23.01.11. Overgrown playground & Jubilee Memorial stone, Halswell School demolition site, Halswell Rd, 4 months post Sept 4 quake


23.01.11. Rubberneckers, Halswell School demolition, patched pavement, School Rd, 4 months post Sept 4 quake


23.01.11. Yellow digger demolishing Halswell School foundation, School Rd, 4 months post Sept 4 quake


23.01.11. Yellow digger demolishing Halswell School foundation, School Rd, 4 months post Sept 4 quake


23.01.11.Yellow digger demolishing Halswell School foundation, School Rd, 4 months post Sept 4 quake


23.01.11. Yellow digger demolishing Halswell School foundation, School Rd, 4 months post Sept 4 quake


23.01.11. Yellow digger demolishing Halswell School foundation, School Rd, 4 months post Sept 4 quake


23.01.11. Digger demolishing Halswell School foundation, School Rd, 4 months post Sept 4 quake


23.01.11. Halswell School, demolished rubble in playground, School Rd, 4 months post Sept 4 quake


23.01.11. Halswell School's new front entrance (old back entrance) new prefabs, Kennedys Bush Rd, 4 months post Sept 4 quake


23.01.11. Grey liquefaction mud on school field. Halswell School new prefabs, staffroom / office by school field, Kennedys Bush Rd, 4 months post Sept 4 quake


23.01.11. Grey liquefaction mud on school field. Halswell School new prefabs by school field, Kennedys Bush Rd, 4 months post Sept 4 quake

I counted 8 new prefab classes & prefab staffroom / office around Halswell School field. How long would those prefabs stay on Halswell School field? Grey, Quakemire I'd snapped on Halswell School field 4 months before was grassed over. Boxing Day Quake: New, grey, quakemire lay on the school field.

I snapped a quake damaged, steel drain by Kennedys Bush Rd curb, then crossed the road, finding grey, liquefaction volcanoes in a paddock I'd snapped 4 months before were grassed over by spring & summer growth. No quakemire to see in the paddock anymore. Nature soon hid its damages, quicker than humans.


23.01.11. Quake damaged drain, Halswell School, Kennedys Bush Rd, 4 months post Sept 4 quake

Grahams Rd, Burnside: Waimairi Cemetery near home, Council post 4 Sept Darfield Quake, HAZARD sign on a tree. HAZARD signs were at Christchurch cemeteries, the 4 Sept Darfield Quake & aftershocks had damaged graves.


23.01.11. Waimairi Cemetery HAZARD sign, Grahams Rd, 4 months post Sept 4 quake

Council cemetery sign:

HAZARD

Many of the headstones and monuments in the cemetery are unstable due to the recent earthquake.

Please proceed with caution when entering the cemetery.

*Trekked Halswell Rd, School Rd, Kennedys Bush Rd, Grahams Rd. 21 snaps.

Content & pics Copyright Mark JS Esslemont.

2 comments:

  1. Halswell School has fully recovered from the September event.The relocatable classrooms and offices are lovely. They are very spacious,newly painted and carpeted, have heat pumps,fast internet, toilets and cloakrooms.The area that had the old buildings is now being turned into a lovely play space for children. There was no damage in the February quake. Halswell School continues to be a fantastic school in a great community.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for the feedback Penny. Good to know Halswell School is going strong again.

    ReplyDelete