More Dead People For Your Pleasure

Christchurch City Council Cemeteries Database

One of our special little treats is the Christchurch City Council Cemeteries Database. This records people who have been buried in the Cemeteries managed by the Council. You know – Addington Cemetery, Avonhead Park Cemetery, Barbadoes Street Cemetery, Belfast Cemetery, Bromley Cemetery, Linwood Cemetery, Memorial Park Cemetery, Ruru Lawn Cemetery, Sydenham Cemetery, Waimairi Cemetery, Woolston Cemetery, Yaldhurst Cemetery.

Oh but not that many from Barbadoes Street.

When Banks Peninsula District amalgamated with the Christchurch City Council in 2006 their interments continued to be managed in a separate system until recently when they were brought together. That data is now available to the public in the Christchurch City Council Cemeteries Database.

So now we bring you burials from the cemeteries of  Akaroa Anglican, Akaroa Catholic, Akaroa Dissenters, Diamond Harbour, Duvauchelle, Kaituna, Le Bons Bay, Little River, Lyttelton Anglican, Lyttelton Catholic, Lyttelton Public, Lyttelton RSA, Pigeon Bay, Port Levy and  Wainui.

Happy digging.

It’s not too late to share an idea

Last weekend I attended the Share an Idea expo at the CBS Canterbury Arena. Hundreds of people had thousands of ideas of how we can rebuild our city. Some ideas were good, others maybe not so good, but all were important. Post-it notes were stuck on the wall, pictures were drawn and plastic-block buildings constructed. The guest speakers gave interesting presentations about what they thought the city should look like.

The ideas are split into four categories:

• Life is what keeps the central city vibrant;
• Space is everything that goes into creating the central city;
• Market is all about how to encourage economic activity in our city centre; and
• Move is how we travel to, and around, our central city.

It’s not too late to have your say. To see what has already been suggested, visit the Share an Idea website. Read the suggestions and watch the  clips on YouTube.  Forms are still available at some libraries and service centers, so you can write down your idea and hand it in, or go online, sign up for the newsletter and have your say.

If you want to read up on some urban design ideas our libraries have some great resources. Try these subject headings:

• Urban design
• Public spaces
• Sustainable living

Can you Handel it? Hallelujah!

It’s that time of year again. You know. Christmas. It’s right around the corner! Being from the northern hemisphere, it’s hard for me to get into the Christmas spirit in Christchurch. BBQs and jandals and Christmas just don’t seem to mesh! But throw a little of Handel’s Messiah into the mix and, voila, Christmas spirit aplenty!

It’s ironic then, that Messiah was orginally written for Easter. The libretto (drawn from the Old and New Testament) devotes more time to the Passion and resurrection of Christ than to the Christmas narrative. Since Handel’s death it’s become customary to perform Messiah during Advent rather than Lent or Easter.

So if you  need a little Messiah for a Christmas pick-me-up, the library has numerous copies by a wide range of choirs from around the world. Every year I like to borrow a few versions to listen to and pick my favorite. (Not all tenor soloists are created equal!) So come in and borrow a copy or two. And then if you are so inclined, go and hear it live. I know a couple of choirs perform Messiah each year in Christchurch.

• Find out more about what you can do in Christchurch and Canterbury for Christmas
• Browse the library’s Christmas music collection for adults and children
• or browse  Christmas activities, books and fun for kids!

Coca-Cola Christmas in the Park – Saturday 27 November

Coca-Cola Christmas in the Park has become one of the highlights of the Christchurch year. A time to gather family together and head to Hagley Park for an evening of Christmas songs, dance and performance. This high energy show will get even the most staunch blokes toe tapping and yodelling along to ‘Rocking around the Christmas Tree’.

This year the concert is particularly exciting for our family. My eldest daughter is performing as part of the Christmas Crew. This group of 14 Christchurch children is selected to dance and sing along with Si and Gary and company. They’ve been rehearsing hard and it’s all coming together brilliantly.  See you at the Park on Saturday. It’s going to be a great evening!

Coca-Cola Christmas in the Park 2010 fact sheet

•  The first Coca-Cola Christmas in the Park concert was held in Auckland in 1994 and there have been 34 concerts since  (16 in Auckland, 4 in Wellington, 14 in Christchurch)  
• This year’s Christchurch will be the 35^th performance  
• Over 500 talented performers audition in Christchurch and Auckland each year and the event provides a once-in-a-lifetime performing opportunity for this year’s most exciting new talent. 
• Over 300 of this year’s most talented singers, dancers, musicians, television and radio personalities will take part in the concerts 
• Coca-Cola Christmas in the Park takes almost a whole year to produce – as soon as this year’s concert is over, the organisers will get started on next year’s event. 
• Coca-Cola Christmas in the Park features one of New Zealand’s biggest Christmas trees on display.  It is 22 metres high, complete with jumbo-sized decorations, and requires a very large crane to put it together. 
• The Coca-Cola Christmas in the Park stage is now twice as big as the original stage and is flanked by two giant super screens which offer concert-goers a 180 degree view of the show. 
• The new stage and set takes more than seven days to assemble – the crew works through the night to dismantle it after the Christchurch concert; and within 8 hours it’s on its way to Auckland. 
• Over 125 people are involved in the production Coca-Cola Christmas in the Park – from sound and lighting to stage construction and management plus over 300 more who get involved on the day including police, road marshals, parking attendants, first aid workers and security guards. 
• Coca-Cola Christmas in the Park has raised over $2,000,000 for youth charities. This year our charity partner is Surf Life Saving who will recruit nearly 200 volunteers to help out at the concerts by selling light sticks, Santa hats, chocolate bars and collecting donations.

Go to our page on Christmas in Christchurch and Canterbury for more local Christmas stuff.

Not just medicine – Dr Barker

Dr Alfred Charles Barker – one of those super talented people who took early Christchurch by storm… or rather by photography!

Barker came to New Zealand from England with his wife and children. As surgeon on the ship Charlotte Jane, he managed to get free passage out here plus a salary as on-board doctor.

After successfully practicing medicine in the Christchurch area, his attention turned to what was apparently his true passion – photography. With an artist’s perception and a doctor’s eye for detail, Barker gives valuable glimpses into the daily life of our city, as it was 150 years ago…

• Browse Dr Barker’s photographs in the library collection
• See more of his photos online @ Matapihi
• Read a short bio on the library website

Alfred Charles Barker pictured with his trap