Those Canterbury Association settlers that weren’t Church of England but were wanting the new start Canterbury offered, stayed pretty quiet about their true denomination until the ship was well on its way. The first sign of their defiance was usually discovered when these families refused to attend the Anglican Church services, usually held on the …
When twenty year old Walter Gee (pictured) stepped off the ‘Sir George Pollock’ in 1851 – the Canterbury Association’s 17th ship – he couldn’t have dreamt of the history he would witness and be part of. Listed as a carpenter on the Association’s passenger manifest, Walter was also a blind-maker but found little demand for …
On 3rd May 2015, guests including the region’s current fire fighters, were invited to Ferrymead Heritage Park to attend the unveiling of a specially restored Ford V8 Mercury ’45 Fire Engine (No.11). This was the first Fire Truck to respond to the Ballantynes fire on 18th November 1947 – leaving from the Fire House at …
In the four years of my study about Canterbury’s history, I have never come across so many historic ties such as that of which Christchurch has with Wellington – through our people at least! So much so, that our last two trips to Wellington had us Bulovics running from pillar to post – tracking down …
“What then was our astonishment at the panorama that opened before us as we pulled round the little point! Wide streets, neat houses, shops, stores, hotels, coffee rooms, emigration barracks, a neat seawall, and an excellent and convenient jetty, with vessels discharging their cargoes upon it, met our view; whilst a momentary ray of sunshine …
Between Avonside Drive and Lockley Ave lays a certain part of the Avon known as ‘Kerrs Reach’. The moment you see it, you can tell it’s man made as the Reach is wide, straight and now the home to a few of the rowing clubs of Christchurch. But the Reach did not begin in this …
“So, between the sawdust heap, a little cricket, after doing 10 hour a day work, some training for local sports and dancing, we were I think as happy as people are today with ever so many more smaller things and knew no better”. – 29th December 1948 E.W. Coop (1870 – 1954) * E.W Coop …
Charles Hazlitt Upham (1908 – 1994) Died of old age Place of Death: Christchurch * The most highly decorated Commonwealth soldier of WWII. * Was awarded two Victoria Crosses, first in 1941 and then in 1945. * He is the only combat soldier to have received a Victoria Cross. * He was the only soldier …
On 26th August 1945, Captain Charles Hazlitt Upham became the only WWII soldier to receive a second Victoria Cross for his military service – the highest award for gallantry in the face of war. It was so unusual that it caused King George VI to ask Major-General Howard Kippenberger if Upham truly deserved it. Kippenberger …
For Crosbie Ward, his three month voyage to Lyttelton must have been like sailing through a continuous slow choking fog. His heart had been heavy ever since the news of the death of his older brothers had reached his family in Ireland. When he wasn’t grieving, he was sick with worry as his remaining younger …
