Goodbye, Gilbert Blythe

If you were a teenage girl during the 1980s and watched television then you were probably enraptured with the Anne of Green Gables TV series based on the novels of L. M. Montgomery. And there’s a good chance you were smitten with Anne Shirley’s regular tormentor/rescuer/romantic interest Gilbert Blythe.

It is with a sad heart that I learned yesterday that the actor who played Gilbert in the various Anne of Green Gables TV series’, Jonathan Crombie, died suddenly from a brain hemorrhage at the age of 48.

Born in Toronto, Canada, Crombie was the son of a former mayor of the city, Dave Crombie, and by strange coincidence his mother’s names were “Shirley Ann”.

Though he worked regularly in television, Gilbert Blythe was by far his most famous role and according to his sister, fans who recognised him on the street would often refer to him as “Gil”.

If this news leaves you in “the depths of despair” and in need of a “Jonathan Crombie Commemorative Screening” we have DVDs of the following Avonlea-based TV series featuring Prince Edward Island’s resident dreamboat, Gilbert.

• Anne of Green Gables (original series)
• Anne of Green Gables (the sequel)
• Anne of Green Gables (the continuing story)

Te Kupu o te Wiki – The Word of the Week

Kia ora. To celebrate Te Reo Māori we are publishing kupu (words).

Kīwaha (colloquialism)

E nge!
Serves you right

Kupu (word)

Papatūānuku
earth/Mother Earth

Me tiakina a Papatūānuku, ka tika!
We need to look after Mother Earth.

• Browse our Te Reo Māori resources.
• Previous Te Kupu o te reo Māori posts.

This week in Christchurch history (20 to 26 April)

Trigonometrical and topographical survey of the districts of Mandeville and Christchurch: shewing the trigonometrical stations, 1850 / J. Thomas, chief surveyor. ATLMAPS ATL-Acc-27187

20 April 1849
Captain Thomas (in a letter to Sir George Grey) reveals that he has chosen the present site of Christchurch for the new settlement – in spite of the fact that both the Nelson and Otago colonists had rejected it in 1841 and 1844 respectively.

20 April 1938
First Inter-Dominion trotting in New Zealand held at Addington Raceway. Originally scheduled for Easter, the contest was postponed by flooding throughout the city. Further flooding after the first races delayed the finals until May 4.

21 April 1971
Court Theatre’s first production, “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie”.

22 April 1869
Visit of the Duke of Edinburgh (New Zealand’s first royal visitor).

23-24 April 1966
Visit by Queen Mother.

23 April 1895
Regular Lyttelton – Wellington Cook Strait ferry service inaugurated by “Penguin”.

25 April 1864
Canterbury Horticultural and Acclimatisation Society formed. This group introduced many animals, birds and fish to Canterbury, and helped to establish the Government Gardens, which eventually became the Botanic Gardens.

The Territorials Cross The Bridge Of Remembrance On The Way To King Edward Barracks (25 Apr. 1926), CCL PhotoCD 3, IMG0052

25 April 1977
Bridge of Remembrance becomes a pedestrian precinct.

25 April 1981
New $16 million postal centre in Hereford Street in operation. A determined fight by civic groups had failed to prevent its siting next to the old Public Library.

26 April 1852
Christ’s College moves from Lyttelton to Christchurch.

More April events in the Christchurch chronology: a timeline of Christchurch events in chronological order from pre-European times to 1989.