SOUTH CANTERBURY PAYS RESPECTS AT VIGIL
Hundreds of people turned out to pay their respect to the victims of Friday’s shootings at a vigil at Caroline Bay yesterday.
Timaru pastor and Timaru District Council Safer Communities member Gordon Rosewall led proceedings as the crowd formed a large circle on the beach.
Rosewall was joined by representatives from Timaru’s Muslim community and various other community representatives, including Timaru mayor Damon Odey.
Rosewall said it was a time filled with sadness as he addressed the crowd. ‘‘We come together to remember something we thought would never happen on our soil,’’ he said.
Odey described the vigil as an extremely sad occasion.
‘‘Our country is built on unity, it is not us, it is not New Zealand,’’ Odey said of the tragedy. ‘‘It will not define us, there is no place for hatred.’’
He said it was now a time ‘‘to look out for each other’’.
‘‘Don’t stand for racism,’’ he urged those gathered. Odey said he had passed condolences on to Christchurch mayor Lianne Dalziel on behalf of Timaru. Musician Abi Kempfthen performed an original composition As We Remember, composed in the wake of the shootings.
Timaru Christian Ministers’ Association chairman Reverend Josh Taylor then led the crowd in prayer before asking those gathered to stand together, hold hands, and face Christchurch during two minutes’ silence.
The crowd then sang the national anthem before white balloons were released in memory of those who had lost their lives. South Canterbury senior Muslim community member Mansoor Shah was at the vigil and spoke to Stuff beforehand.
Shah said there were several families in Timaru who had friends killed in Christchurch on Friday. The local Muslim community, about 20 people, had ‘‘split their response’’, rather than ‘‘flooding’’ in to Christchurch, he said.
Most would be going to Christchurch when the burials started, he said. Support from South Canterbury and wider Canterbury had been strong, he said.
Anyone wanting to offer any type of support was asked to visit the The Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand website, Shah said.
‘‘It’s been phenomenal, every single person has said they feel so bad it has happened in New Zealand. ‘‘This is an attack on New Zealand, not just Muslims. We all came here, we are all Kiwis.’’ Shah said there was still a lot of anxiety as people waited for news of their friends and families.