To most of us these days, we would struggle if someone asked us to take them to Burnside Road. I know I paused for a moment when I read about Burnside Road and I just couldn’t place it. The reason for this goes back to the renaming of Burnside Road in 1959. Burnside Road had …
What a delightful little calm street 🙂 All that is missing is a horse-drawn buggy and a driver in their Sunday best. Where is this? Clyde Road…just past Jefferys Road, Fendalton school is coming up on the left hand-side. .
The first signs of European life started to appear in Templeton and Weedons around 1860. Before that, Templeton was known as the nothern end of James Edward Fitzgerald’s sheep station, ‘The Springs’. It was named because of the many water springs on his run (where the town of Lincoln is today) and they still bubble …
Somewhere in the folds of time, the acknowledgement of the death of Jesus Christ and the Pagan celebration of spring and fertility collided and meshed into what we now know as Easter. During the 13th century in Germany, the goddess of spring and fertility was worshipped around this time of year. Her name was Teutonic …
This was the site of the first rural Catholic Church, built in 1871 – Shands Road, Canterbury. The parish of this tiny church (Church of the Most Blessed Sacrament) stretched from The Conway (Kaikoura) to the Rangitata River! (Ashburton) The land was gifted by Patrick Henley and the first Father was named Chervier. If Chervier’s …
“Having reached the island which Quail Island rises to about 250 ft above the level of the harbour I landed at a shelly beach and ascended the hill in order to correct and complete my sketch. During my walk there I flushed several quail and from that circumstance I gave it the name Quail Island.” …
“There are 24 hours per day given to us; eight of these should be for work, eight for sleep, and the remaining eight for recreation and in which for men to do what little things they want for themselves.” ~ Samuel Duncan Parnell Aboard the ‘Britanna’, an emigrant ship on its way to Port Nicholson …
On the 19th December 1663, famous writer and journalist Samuel Pepsy made mention of Boxing Day in his diary. This grand tradition for the working middle and lower classes has been around since the Middle Ages, beginning in Rome. Basically tradesmen and servants would receive a box of goodies or money from their superiors the …
Alrighty…here’s my attempt to get into the Christmas Spirit. Over the 12 days of Christmas, my city gave to me… Twelve Orana Lions Roaring Eleven Private Schools a-teaching Ten Thousand Cyclists Nine Cranes a-swinging Eight Big Reds a-honking Seven Sister Cities Six Big Quakes FIVE…PROVINCIAL…PARKS Four Main Aves Three Restored Trams Two Windy Rivers And …
During the 7th or 8th century, a brave monk, now known to us as Saint Boniface arrived in Germany to share the Christian message. As he preached from village to village, he would eventually impact the world for many centuries to come. He encouraged the decorating of nearby Fir trees to celebrate the birth of …
