The Library holds many culturally important taonga that inform our identity as Cantabrians. This is not one of them, but it is the coolest thing I’ve seen in Store since an old edition of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz:
The Fourth Doctor (Tom Baker) was the Doctor du jour when this was published, and he (and his scarf) feature prominently:
Levity aside, never forget that “beyond the beyond of beyond at the dark endless edge of eternal space, exists a life force that has neither form nor substance.”
What (or who) are you most looking forward to at WORD Christchurch?
I’m inspired by the whole programme, but am looking forward to hearing Nic Low, as I enjoyed reading his new book Arms Race, and his poignant essay about Christchurch written for The Griffith Review, and available on his website.
What do you think about libraries?
I think a lot about libraries. I regularly use five of the ones based where I live; I work in one (the Alexander Turnbull Library); and I visit them when I travel away from Wellington. Most recently, the marvellous OBA (Openbare Bibliotheek Amsterdam), the Amsterdam Public Library.
Share a surprising fact about yourself.
I started my career as a fraud accountant, and I can’t click my fingers.
25 August 1920
First flight over Cook Strait (Christchurch to Trentham) by Captain Euan Dickson in a Canterbury Aviation Company plane.
26 August 1939
Official opening of City Council’s pensioner housing project in Barnett Avenue, Sydenham; the first local body pensioner housing in New Zealand.
28 August 1890
“Great maritime strike” (the first of New Zealand’s 3 major waterfront strikes) spreads to Lyttelton.
31 August 1959
Princess Margaret Hospital opens.
Cashmere (later Princess Margaret) Hospital, shown under construction [1956] CCL PhotoCD 17, IMG0099, Christchurch City Libraries The land for the hospital had been bought from the Cracroft Wilson estate by the North Canterbury Hospital Board in the 1930s. Construction began in May 1952 and the hospital was opened 31 Aug. 1959 by the Governor-General, the Viscount Cobham (1909-1977) and officially named The Princess Margaret Hospital. At one stage it was assumed that it would become Christchurch’s main hospital but it was too far from the town centre.31 August 1974
Death of Prime Minister Norman Kirk, M.P. for Sydenham. He had earlier been M.P. for Lyttelton, and Mayor of Kaiapoi.
Search our catalogue for Norman Kirk.
View the DigitalNZ set The life and death of Norman Kirk.
Christchurch City Libraries Blog 