Rediscovering Christchurch - 'Let's Get it Done' in Wainoni

[rumpelsnorcack]

 

First, I need to get the superstitious stuff out of the way.  This is the third post of a new Rediscovering Christchurch series.  Both of the last two times I got three posts into exploring the city we got 6.3 quakes 2-3 days later.  This is just fair warning to all – there may be a quake in a couple of days.  That's totally a legitimate prediction, and much more scientifically accurate than some others :P

 Up 'til now all my posts have attempted to be Pollyanna-like investigations of what's awesome about Christchurch right now.  Today's is a little different.  It's about an awesome event, created and run by inspiring people and some amazing volunteers but it took me to some of the harder hit areas of the city.  It took me to places I haven't been since September last year because I didn't want to intrude.  Let me tell you now, we should be intruding – though not if we're just going along there to look, say 'oh how sad' and go away again.  We should be intruding because the people who are living in those places still need help and if no-one goes along and offers that help then they get forgotten.

 I got to the meeting point just after 9am after going down the wrong part of Avonside Drive.  I'd forgotten, after avoiding it for a year because of that not-wanting-to-intrude thing, that at that point the street actually runs along both sides of the river and I'd chosen to begin walking down the wrong one.  Thankfully, someone else also got it wrong and I was picked by a lovely woman who I ended up spending the rest of the day with.  After meeting with the lovely @WendyDavie and @Swiggs who I have long conversed with on twitter but never met 'in the flesh' before (and who both did a sterling job organising and running the day as well as putting a lot of time, effort and their own money into the Rebuild Christchurch website) we were sent out to our first job of the day.  We met a lovely old lady whose backyard was completely covered in silt and who hadn't been able to get any help before.  Her story broke my heart.  She had called the Council to try and get some help but with no luck and her landlord had said he would help, but three months after the June quake here she still was with her backyard inaccessible.  She thanked us for coming roughly a million times, and tried to feed us tea, coffee and various snacks.  In the end it took four of us approximately two hours to get her section tidied enough that a bit of hosing should take care of the rest.  It's sad that so little time made such a difference to her and yet it hadn't happened previously.

 We returned to the meeting point and were sent off to the next job.  This one was much bigger.  When we got there, ten people had already been digging for a few hours and it was still a massive job.  What blew my mind the most about today was the sheer amount of silt that is still out there in peoples' gardens and how easy it is to overlook what needs to be done if you don't go out and look for it.  People don't tend to like asking for help, especially when they assume there are other people worse off than they are, so it's up to those of us who have fortunately either been spared from any of the things they deal with on a daily basis, or who have already had our issues sorted out, to go and find the people who still need help – the elderly, the overwhelmed, the sick. 

 Today was really great.  It was wonderful to see so many people out willing to lend a hand this long after the earthquakes.  From the Student Volunteer Army, who came out despite it getting closer to exam time, to the people who'd heard about it from twitter and facebook it was a lovely group of committed people doing something for their city.  Rebuild Christchurch is planning to do some more of this type of thing in the months to come – to help people pack up to move out of the red zone, to help people reorganise after moving to a smaller space, even just to let people know they aren't alone and that the rest of the city still cares about what they are going through.  I would urge everyone to look out for people who need this help.  Either on one of these organised days or just when and as we can, any help we can give is gratefully accepted by those who often don't know where to go to get what they need.

 I am exhausted, aching and in need of a really, really long sleep but I am very pleased I went out there today.  I met some wonderful people, was touched by others and basically felt really good about being part of the Christchurch community.

 

Comments

[lorelaisquared.livejournal.com]

Sounds like an amazing and inspiring day! I'm so glad that you were able to experience it and that so many people are still out there helping the community as it's needed.

[rumpelsnorcack.livejournal.com]

It was really good. The article in the Press this morning is good too - explains that as people start to hear about the group they are starting to ask for that help which is YAY. Two turned up at the church yesterday desperate for help. One hadn't been able to open her cupboards and use her oven and another had no food and had no idea where to go to get it. Sad .. so so sad, but at least they are hearing about it now and can get what they need.

[lorelaisquared.livejournal.com]

Oh that's good. I'm glad this is getting the word out to those who need it that help is still available.

[promethia_tenk]

Deeply hoping that your prediction is wrong. *debates what superstitious activities might help ward such a recurrence off from clear across the globe*

This sounds like an excellent initiative!

[rumpelsnorcack.livejournal.com]

Ah, see, by predicting it I make it not happen *nods* that's the way with all these quake predictors who'know' the secret so it should work for me :D

I couldn't believe exactly how much that group is still needed. The elderly, especially, are having a hard time.

[sea_thoughts]

Third time lucky?

Thanks for posting this, it's very inspiring reading. :D

[rumpelsnorcack.livejournal.com]

*crosses fingers* we're at day 3 so I'm hopeful it really was third time lucky :)

Thank you very much for your words.