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rumpelsnorcack4.35 am, Saturday September 4th 2010. It did something to everyone who was here – changed us all in some way. Everyone is different of course, no one shares the same degree or type of change as anyone else, but the fact that we have all been changed, tempered, influenced in some way by this event unites all of us. Those who were born and lived here all their lives, those who came here from elsewhere, those who have stayed, those who have now left, those who are just starting their lives and those who are nearing the end of it – we are all part of the same thing, the same process, the same overwhelming upheaval.
It's easy to dwell in the negatives of our situation, to focus on the broken houses, broken people, broken insurance systems. It's easy to look at red zones and the silt still lining the damaged streets, to look at the enormity of what still needs to be done. It's easy to do that and to despair. It's easy because there's so much of it and it can swamp you, you can drown in it. I don't want to minimise any of the bad stuff – it's there, it's potent and it can devour you even when you try to be strong. But on this anniversary I want to focus more on what we have achieved because when we look back a year ago we see a very different situation, and as bleak as things still are right now, there are some lights that have shone a little bit of positivity into all this darkness (and I'm not talking about the 'white lights of hope' being set up in Cathedral Square).
Community
People talk about this a lot – we are called strong, stoic, resilient and any number of other things that don't really mean a lot. I guess it's what outsiders see, or want to see, when they look in. I don't see it quite the same way – I see those things at times, but I see something else as well. What I mostly see is a community that is united, one that supports itself and the people within it both when it is feeling strong and happy and when it is tough to get up and keep going in the morning – when the very idea of being strong, stoic or resilient is laughable. It is a community made up of people from all walks of life, from the very rich to the very poor, from all sides of the political spectrum, and none of that matters. It is a community that extends from our streets and onto the internet. It is there in the person who genuinely smiles and says hello as you're walking down the street and with whom you take the time to share a conversation when you might never have before. It is there in the virtual world of facebook and twitter and the strength of the bond in the #eqnz hashtag. It isn't limited just to Canterbury either – it's a community that extends across the country and even around the world. The best thing about it is that it's a community that didn't exist in quite the same way 12 months ago – it was developed out of pain, fear and uncertainty but has become about so much more than that. The city I live in and love has changed, but in this way it has changed for the better. It is kinder, more accepting and just plain better for the process it has gone through. I wouldn't have chosen to experience the last year in the way that we have, but I am definitely grateful for the community that has risen out of the destruction of our land.
Picking ourselves up and moving on
In the days, weeks and months that followed September's quake and its deadly aftershocks we had a city, and a province, that looked crushed and defeated. It was a place where it would have been easy to look around at what had been lost, say stuff this and just give up, but so many people didn't. Businesses moved, people innovated and temporary solutions to complex problems sprung up everywhere. A year on from the start and many things are sliding back into place. Just this week there have been grand reopenings galore. The Canterbury Museum opened its doors to the public on Friday for the first time in over six months and is sharing its space with exhibitions originally intended to go to the Art Gallery which is still off limits. Comics Compulsion has finally moved out of the spare room of a house into brand new digs in Papanui, celebrating their opening yesterday, and The Palms mall is due to open on Thursday. It's been a long, hard road for everyone and some businesses are still working their way back but they are still fighting. There are still people working from kitchen tables and other such spots. As a friend said, 'I've been in some really nice shipping containers lately' – and such temporary solutions can work really well. There isn't a sense of place that has given up, but rather of one that is thinking outside the square and making do with what it has. Not just making do; even excelling in many cases. The local newspaper, for example, never once missed a beat, delivering a paper every day of this last year despite losing a staff member and their home premises – carrying on with such a high quality product that they even recently garnered some Australasian awards including newspaper of the year in their category. It is a testament to the flexibility of the people and businesses of Canterbury that nothing has really ground to a halt. There are hardships, yes, but overall the place is still running – and running well. That really deserves celebrating. After one year, we really haven't been defeated.
Staying Positive
One year on and the mood out there is mostly encouraging. People are, of course, contemplative and reflective but there hasn't been any sense of depression in any of the commemorations I saw bits of today. From the day out at Sumner to the big group hug in Christchurch to the ceremony turning on the lights in the Square it's all been fairly solemn but forward-looking. This is, after all, a day to celebrate as well as to mourn. We celebrate having made it this far. It's been a hard year, but we've got through it and next year will be hard too, but hopefully it won't be as hard as this year and that should be the case each year as we move on and past this – every year we live through is another year closer to not just surviving but thriving as a province. In recognition, however, that some people aren't able to move on as yet a group of people have organised the 'Get it done' weekend next weekend. It's a great chance for those who are doing fine to get out there and help the rest of the community and for those who may still be struggling to see that the rest of us do still care. I'm looking forward to it – it's a brilliant opportunity to give something positive back to the community I now value so highly.
Kia Kaha Canterbury – we made it through one year, we can make it through the rest.
It's easy to dwell in the negatives of our situation, to focus on the broken houses, broken people, broken insurance systems. It's easy to look at red zones and the silt still lining the damaged streets, to look at the enormity of what still needs to be done. It's easy to do that and to despair. It's easy because there's so much of it and it can swamp you, you can drown in it. I don't want to minimise any of the bad stuff – it's there, it's potent and it can devour you even when you try to be strong. But on this anniversary I want to focus more on what we have achieved because when we look back a year ago we see a very different situation, and as bleak as things still are right now, there are some lights that have shone a little bit of positivity into all this darkness (and I'm not talking about the 'white lights of hope' being set up in Cathedral Square).
Community
People talk about this a lot – we are called strong, stoic, resilient and any number of other things that don't really mean a lot. I guess it's what outsiders see, or want to see, when they look in. I don't see it quite the same way – I see those things at times, but I see something else as well. What I mostly see is a community that is united, one that supports itself and the people within it both when it is feeling strong and happy and when it is tough to get up and keep going in the morning – when the very idea of being strong, stoic or resilient is laughable. It is a community made up of people from all walks of life, from the very rich to the very poor, from all sides of the political spectrum, and none of that matters. It is a community that extends from our streets and onto the internet. It is there in the person who genuinely smiles and says hello as you're walking down the street and with whom you take the time to share a conversation when you might never have before. It is there in the virtual world of facebook and twitter and the strength of the bond in the #eqnz hashtag. It isn't limited just to Canterbury either – it's a community that extends across the country and even around the world. The best thing about it is that it's a community that didn't exist in quite the same way 12 months ago – it was developed out of pain, fear and uncertainty but has become about so much more than that. The city I live in and love has changed, but in this way it has changed for the better. It is kinder, more accepting and just plain better for the process it has gone through. I wouldn't have chosen to experience the last year in the way that we have, but I am definitely grateful for the community that has risen out of the destruction of our land.
Picking ourselves up and moving on
In the days, weeks and months that followed September's quake and its deadly aftershocks we had a city, and a province, that looked crushed and defeated. It was a place where it would have been easy to look around at what had been lost, say stuff this and just give up, but so many people didn't. Businesses moved, people innovated and temporary solutions to complex problems sprung up everywhere. A year on from the start and many things are sliding back into place. Just this week there have been grand reopenings galore. The Canterbury Museum opened its doors to the public on Friday for the first time in over six months and is sharing its space with exhibitions originally intended to go to the Art Gallery which is still off limits. Comics Compulsion has finally moved out of the spare room of a house into brand new digs in Papanui, celebrating their opening yesterday, and The Palms mall is due to open on Thursday. It's been a long, hard road for everyone and some businesses are still working their way back but they are still fighting. There are still people working from kitchen tables and other such spots. As a friend said, 'I've been in some really nice shipping containers lately' – and such temporary solutions can work really well. There isn't a sense of place that has given up, but rather of one that is thinking outside the square and making do with what it has. Not just making do; even excelling in many cases. The local newspaper, for example, never once missed a beat, delivering a paper every day of this last year despite losing a staff member and their home premises – carrying on with such a high quality product that they even recently garnered some Australasian awards including newspaper of the year in their category. It is a testament to the flexibility of the people and businesses of Canterbury that nothing has really ground to a halt. There are hardships, yes, but overall the place is still running – and running well. That really deserves celebrating. After one year, we really haven't been defeated.
Staying Positive
One year on and the mood out there is mostly encouraging. People are, of course, contemplative and reflective but there hasn't been any sense of depression in any of the commemorations I saw bits of today. From the day out at Sumner to the big group hug in Christchurch to the ceremony turning on the lights in the Square it's all been fairly solemn but forward-looking. This is, after all, a day to celebrate as well as to mourn. We celebrate having made it this far. It's been a hard year, but we've got through it and next year will be hard too, but hopefully it won't be as hard as this year and that should be the case each year as we move on and past this – every year we live through is another year closer to not just surviving but thriving as a province. In recognition, however, that some people aren't able to move on as yet a group of people have organised the 'Get it done' weekend next weekend. It's a great chance for those who are doing fine to get out there and help the rest of the community and for those who may still be struggling to see that the rest of us do still care. I'm looking forward to it – it's a brilliant opportunity to give something positive back to the community I now value so highly.
Kia Kaha Canterbury – we made it through one year, we can make it through the rest.