NZ stands with Chch, says PM
Heads bowed and eyes shut tight, the only sound to be heard during the minute’s silence at 12.51pm by the hundreds of mourners gathered at the Canterbury Earthquake National Memorial yesterday was that of construction – a sound of the future.
It was seven years since that terrible day in 2011, and for those left remembering loved ones or who had their own lives irrevocably changed, emotions no doubt rage in endless conflict.
For some, while memories hold strong, the wrenching pain may have diminished.
Others will have found their recollections have grown hazy – the faces of husbands, wives, children or parents now frustratingly blurred amid an enduring agony at their loss.
Yesterday’s memorial service on the banks of the Avon River marked yet another anniversary, another year since Christchurch was changed beyond comprehension.
The words of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will be a partial salve to a people and city that are still healing – a message that New Zealand will always stand with Christchurch.
After thanking emergency services for their work that February 22 and in the quake’s aftermath, and recognising the deaths of those from abroad, she told the gathered crowd: ‘‘We are with you as a city and a people moving to a future that is marked by hope and by a sense of optimism.
‘‘We continue to stand alongside you as you rebuild a city that captures the spirit that has flourished over the last seven years. Incredible things have happened amidst the rubble.
‘‘You are creative – greening the rubble, building strong community connections, an invigorated arts community. They are all powerful legacies and legacies of your experience. As you move forward with your recovery we will stand alongside you.
‘‘We will do all we can to support you, and no matter what we will never, ever forget and we will keep their dreams alive.’’
And in an astute observation, Ardern recognised the children of Christchurch – some of whom attended the service in school uniforms or clutched toys to remember a loved one – are the ‘‘generation of the rebuild’’.
‘‘Some of them may not have directly experienced tragedy and loss, [but] they will always have a sense of it around them.
‘‘We must do all that we can to support those children as much as we support their families as we continue to rebuild,’’ she said.
The names of the 185 victims were read out in a solemn, 11-minute roll-call giving tender affirmation that their memory will never be extinguished.
Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalziel said that while the tragedy was ‘‘forever etched in our collective memories’’, the theme of keeping dreams alive helped people ‘‘look back at all that we’ve lost with a sense of hope and aspiration for the future’’.
Tim Elms, chairman of the Quake Families Trust, said the service highlighted what had been gained.
‘‘Today is about ensuring that we honour their legacy by being courageous, by being grateful, being determined and being kind, and through us we are keeping their dreams alive.’’
After the ceremony, the prime minister led the laying of wreaths, followed by scores of family members.
Among them was Marie Foldesi, who lost her husband Ian in the earthquake. Looking back on it being seven years, she said: ‘‘I feel life is a gift, and we should embrace every day, and love every day, and be kind to each other and do the best that we can.’’