From sagas to the truly inspirational
With the demise of the oyster farms around Stewart Island, the embarrassing situation with Todd Barclay, the deputy mayor saga and the mysterious secret email sent to The Southland Times, it has certainly been a month of climactic egg on face, drama and pathos.
As an escape from all these never-ending emotional train wrecks I’ve decided to write about our magnificent sporting success stories. The mighty Steel who suffered a terrifying road accident, yet still went on to the finals without losing a single game for the entire season. Our incredible Emirates NZ yachties who overcame a heart-stopping nosedive yet still successfully faced off challengers from the industrial powerhouses of Great Britain, Sweden, France and Japan. Now they are in the finals facing America itself for the America’s Cup.
As a nation, we are tremendously proud of all our sporting superstars but none have inspired us more than the incredible success of our mighty All Blacks, who have won, on average, more than 70 per cent of all test matches played since 1901. And let’s not forget the heroic sacrifice they made during World War I. Of the 18,000 New Zealanders killed in WWI, 12,500 were lost on the Western Front and 13 of those soldiers were All Blacks.
One of those soldier-All Blacks was Jimmy Ridland, who played for the Star rugby club in Invercargill and was a Southland provincial representative. He made the ultimate sacrifice along with 135 other Kiwi soldiers in the battle to liberate Le Quesnoy. The reason 3000 citizens of that town have such a bond with New Zealanders is that not a single civilian was killed during the battle.
Rifleman Alexander James Ridland’s last Invercargill address was 13 Dublin St but his mother and father were both born in the Shetland Islands. His last employer was J Macalister and in his will he left everything to his father and £300 to Margery Scott Thompson. If any person knows anything about Margery or the Ridland family, please contact me via email on mayor@icc.govt.nz. We are holding a ‘‘Jimmy Ridland Memorial Dinner’’ in London on October 12, because the All Blacks will be in London at that time. We are trying to get as much information as we can on this Invercargill hero but there are no Ridlands listed in the Southland telephone directory and there is no trace of Margery Thompson despite the help from Dr Aaron Fox to trace them.
For more than two years now I’ve been promoting Herb Farrant’s campaign to buy the mayor’s stately house and nine cottages in Le Quesnoy and transform the complex into a cafe and museum along with some accommodation. The reason is not just that the war was won on the Western Front but also because I believe Northern France is a far safer destination. Many young Kiwis want to do far more than simply murmuring ‘‘We will remember them’’ at the local Anzac Day Dawn Parade. They want to visit the battle grounds and military cemeteries of their forefathers.
Unfortunately, Turkey has become embroiled in the civil unrest and terrorism that has engulfed so much of the Middle East. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued dire warnings advising young Kiwis attending Anzac ceremonies at Gallipoli not to stay in Ankara or Istanbul and to avoid tourist areas because of the risk of violence or kidnapping.
Yet another military commemoration project I’ve been involved in is The Return to Monte Cassino by Maree Frewen-Wilks. Her brilliant visual coverage of one of New Zealand’s toughest battles during WWII and the return trip by veterans is truly inspirational. Questions have been asked about why I chose to support her publication and there were many reasons.
First of all, it was obvious from the numerous letters of support from people I trusted such as Gwen Neave and Angela Newell and that she had local community support.
Secondly, I wanted to know the level of local funding for this project. I was most impressed by the fact that Ann-Marie Thomas had raised an incredible $72,000, which was enough to send 11 veterans from Southland to Monte Cassino.
Many of the veterans have now passed away but, with books, films, the release of official war records, the internet and museum displays, we will remember them. Tim Shadbolt is mayor of Invercargill