Remembering the Wahine Disaster – 10 April 1968

The Wahine Disaster took place fifty years ago. Today we reflect on the loss of fifty one people on the 10^th of April 1968. This tragedy resonates strongly down the decades.

Policeman Ray Ruane holding a young survivor of the Wahine shipwreck. Further negatives of the Evening Post newspaper. Ref: EP/1968/1574/26a-F. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. http://natlib.govt.nz/records/22508739

The Wahine Disaster played out across the nation’s television in grainy black and white, and the newsroom brought the story to our living rooms.  The ferry’s proximity to shore where people watched helplessly certainly added to our sense of powerlessness in the face of tragedy.

You can watch some of the original footage on NZ On Screen.

• There is also a collection on NZ On Screen of documentaries about the Wahine Disaster.
• Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision has audio reports of the Wahine Disaster. This recording contains radio news coverage of the sinking of the Lyttelton–Wellington ferry ‘Wahine’ on 10 April 1968.  It was filed on the evening of the disaster and contains a detailed description of the cause of the disaster, the death toll and the search and rescue scene.

The Wahine used as a backdrop for a shot on the Port at Lyttelton, circa 1965. Kete Christchurch 1965_g_-_Wahine.jpg

The storm affected many parts of the country including Canterbury. It tore of the roofs of houses on Canon Hill and forced many homes in Sumner to be evacuated.

I recall my parents pointing to the wreckage, which was still visible for many years, as we neared Wellington on our ferry voyage. Each time there is a rough ferry crossing, the fate of the Wahine ferry is remembered and our thoughts are once again with those who died and with the survivors of that ill-fated voyage.

Find out more:

• Our page on the sinking of the Wahine.
• The sinking of the Wahine, 10 April 1968, Wellington City Libraries
• The sinking of the Wahine a DigitalNZ set of images
• Wahine Disaster from NZ History.net.
• Audio recordings from Nga Taonga Sound & Vision

Articles on the 50th anniversary of the Wahine disaster

• Survivors of the Wahine disaster tell their story 50 years on Radio NZ
• Wahine disaster survivors’ thank-you to rescuers at 50th anniversary events in Wellington NZ Herald
• Wahine disaster 50 years on: What happened that day Stuff

Always bring a jacket!

I love weather, (especially fine sunny weather!) but being a Wellingtonian I experienced storms on a regular basis, including the Wahine storm, against which every weather event is now measured, in my head anyway.

I then lived in a very sunny small town for 26 years. I would often think that what people needed was a good southerly storm to blow away the cobwebs; appreciation of lovely weather needs some experience of the opposite. My advice to my children, when they left town was, “always bring a jacket, there’s weather out there!”

So now Christchurch provides just enough weather to keep me on my toes, something to talk about and which does not allow too much complacency about saying “come over for a barbecue”. Take this morning: we planned a day at the beach, it’s already poured with rain, now the sun is shining and the wind is increasing in intensity. Alternatives must be discussed and explored. Life is never dull when weather has to be factored in to every activity outside the house.

So I love to read about weather-related incidents, since coping with weather is almost a full-time job.

Try This Barren Rock: 1875, A True Tale of Shipwreck and Survival in the Southern Seas by Sylvie Haisman, a tale of astonishing survival. The good thing is that, having been written by the woman’s great-great-great-grand-daughter, you know there must be a happy ending!

• If you want to read more about that fateful day of the Wahine storm in April 1967, check out these Wahine titles in our catalogue.
• Since we’re now supposedly in spring and heading towards summer, here are some BBQ titles.

   

What’s your favourite weather-related book? Or do you have any BBQ book recommendations?