Mt Roskill's war memorial cairn

I visited the Mt Roskill War Memorial Park at the May Road end on 31 July, attending the first meeting of the Mt Roskill Historical Society . While there, I took photos of the war memorial -- then went looking for information on it in the usual places. Couldn't find a skerrit on the memorial I photographed -- just the hall.

On 29 October 1955, Mt Roskill mayor Keith Hay formally opened the War Memorial Hall (that's the building in the background), designed by architect Stephen G Wright. This transformed the park's identity from just the May Road reserve to War Memorial Park.

In his opening remarks the Mayor said that in the early stages when we thought back to the trials and worries, it was very pleasing to know that the Memorial was at last finished. He said that they had endeavoured to retain the dignity of a war memorial outside and enjoyment of all inside ...He thanked the willing band of workers who had worked so hard to raise the money and he thanked the citizens for their donations, and said that it was their memorial hall, which was second to none in the Dominion and "what was most important, the hall is opened free of debt" ...

The Town Clerk, Mt R P Pitcaithly, ... announced that the Mayor had donated his honorarium for 1955 and 1956 not [to] assemble here to mourn those we have lost, but to pay so that the hall could open free of debt. Mr Pitcaithly said that his Worship did not want this announced, but in fairness to him and Mrs Hay, as well as to the citizens and all who had contributed to the Memorial, it was only justice that such a fine gesture should be broadcast throughout the length and breadth of the Dominion, and he finished by saying that "This will go down in history for the future posterity of Mt Roskill" ...

The inspection of the building was ... made. It is a modern structure with a main hall 40ft by 80ft, a cloakroom, a stage and a shop -- a real, living memorial."

Manukau Progress, 11 November 1955, p.1

So, I dug a bit deeper, and sank into one of my usual hunting grounds for information on our city, the Auckland Council Archives in the city.

It wasn't until June 1958 that plans for adding the actual war memorial monument were made, for the site just beside the earlier hall. The architect was, once again, Stephen G Wright.

Determined that Mt Roskill shall have a memorial feature incorporated in the surroundings of the memorial hall of which it can be justly proud, the War Memorial Committee has decided that a cairn in Coromandel granite shall be erected and established in an attractive setting of flowers and trees alongside the hall. So confident is the committee that the people of the borough will respond to its appeal for the extra money needed to build the cairn, that it has decided to proceed with the work immediately ...

It was decided ... to use Coromandel granite for the stone, which will be mounted on a concrete base and connected to the entrance to the hall by a 10ft. wide concrete path. On the west side of the memorial the existing flagstaff will be re-erected, and this in turn will be flanked by a semi-circular flower box 3ft. wide with seats facing the memorial and the flagstaff ... 

...the memorial ... will have a suitably inscribed bronze plaque on the north and south sides, surmounted by a bronze wreath, while an inset cross will be carved on the east and west sides ... The committee is determined to have the whole project completed in readiness for the service on Anzac Day 1959 ...

Roskill News, 26 June 1958

Plan of the proposed war memorial, from Roskill News, 26 June 1958, file MRB 111/93/3/2/2, Auckland Council Archives

It's possible that the memorial may have been finished in time for Anzac Day 1959, but they were still sorting out tenders for the paving around the memorial in August that year. (MRB 111/113/3/4/8, Auckland Council Archives)

South side.

THESE PLAYING FIELDS

AND THE HALL THEREON

ARE DEDICATED

TO THE MEMORY OF THOSE

OF THIS DISTRICT

WHO GAVE

THEIR LIVES

THAT WE WHO REMAIN

MAY REST

IN PEACE

North side.

TO YOU

FROM FAILING HANDS

WE THROW THE TORCH

BE YOURS

TO HOLD IT HIGH

IF YE

BREAK FAITH WITH US

WHO DIE

WE SHALL NOT

SLEEP

The quiet sunny Sunday afternoon I was there, a father was helping his child on a small bike, riding around and around the memorial cairn to get balance and confidence. A nice use for such a community-supported installation as this.

Timespanner visits the Wynyard Quarter

Wynyard Quarter, on one of Auckland's 20th century reclamations, was officially opened to the public on 6 August this year. I was at a meeting in Avondale that day so couldn't go -- but I knew I'd get a bit of a chance later on. Well, that chance was today.

First thing you see from the end of Quay Street (it's advertised as a five minute walk from Britomart. Expect it to be 10 minutes if no boats want to get out to sea from the marinas) is this striped pattern on the pavement. At least, it helps you not to get lost.

Heading towards Te Wero, Auckland's artificial island linking the Viaduct with Wynyard Quarter and the first of two bridges. No sign of the spectacular designs promoted on pages like this one -- but then again, the old Auckland City Council reckoned it would take until 2016 to do that design. This one may have been the more quickly designed one.

"Te Wero

220 Quay St, Auckland central

This is a purpose built island which offers a prime location for events space. It is one of the best vantage points for on-water events. It features the heritage lifting bridge and a number of carvings that were installed as part of the America's Cup challenge. Includes marquee anchors installed for large events. Access is via Eastern Viaduct car park. There is no seating or toilets. This is a venue to come and soak up the Viaduct Harbour atmosphere." From old Council site.  

"Te Wero" is the challenge visitors in a Maori welcome ceremony receive when visiting a marae.

On to the main bridge linking Te Wero with Wynyard Quarter.

Brief stop to photograph a beautiful craft. (Update: she's the 1925 gaff ketch Breum. More info here.)

When visiting the Wynyard Quarter and using what is termed the Wynyard Crossing -- if the siren sounds and the lights flash, beedle off it quick smart. Because ... it does this:

Some today were a bit slow getting off it. Luckily for them, they didn't end up clinging for dear life to each end.

Wynyard Quarter is still a work-in-progress, despite being opened last weekend. Which surprised me. The blurb I'd received and seen basically implied "It's all done! Yay us!!" Well, no, not quite. This bloke's still hard at work on finishing touches, for one.

As is this bloke. These are seats, he told me, which slide around on rails and wheels, and the ends are hinged so they fold up.

And the information kiosk ... well, I think that's all done, but by the looks of things, it doesn't appear to be. Okay, maybe I'm being a bit of a cranky grouch through dodgy sleep patterns just lately, but -- is this really the impression we want to give overseas visitors? A kiosk made out of shipping containers stacked up?

This is certainly the first ATM I've seen sticking out of the side of a shipping container.

I was looking for the public artworks which promotion papers on the development said were around. This seems to be one of them: "Silt Line", by Rachel Shearer and Hillary Taylor. The patterns represent, according to the "Public Art in the Wynyard Quarter" card I picked up from beside the shipping containers "graphic representations of the clusters of sounds making up the sound installation The Flooded Mirror, high and low frequencies and revealing the cycles of the tide."

Not terribly awed, I moved on. I couldn't locate "The Flooded Mirror" until an hour later when I left to go back to the city. Some weird noises nearby was probably that. The frequencies made me want to move away from them, so it was good I was doing just that.

This is "Sounds of the Sea", by a duo of artists named Company from Finland/Korea.

These repeat along the North Wharf.

I think these are part of it, but -- I'm not sure.

This is Michio Ihara's "Wind Tree". It has had a chequered past. It was installed in Queen Elizabeth Square at the bottom of Queen Street in 1977, removed in 2002, put in storage, rumoured to be destined for Western Springs, and has now ended up here.

But beyond Wind Tree further east is this -- a playground full of cool stuff.

Only thing is -- as a parent said today, while watching her kids: there's no fence, and the playground is set in a place surrounded by roads which moving traffic still uses. Not really the safest place to put a kiddies' playground, I'd have thought.

Long rocks lying on artificial turf. I have no idea why.

But hey -- at least there's trams.

I paid my $10 adult ticket (which allows you to go around the 15 minute small loop all day if you wanted to. Which I didn't) and did try part of the route. But -- it was depressing. After the delights of Christchurch's tram loop in 2007, this was just sad. Next to no views, except of light industrial buildings, parked cars, some boats in a small harbour, a bus depot, then back down to start all over again. The poor old heritage trams look terribly out of place, here.

The tram barn used by the service, though, has been given a fitting livery. The photo on the rear facing Pakenham Street is from Graham Stewart.

This is where the line stretches into the distance.

I deliberately took this shot to show just what passengers look at while passing on through -- the back end of parked cars on part of the route. On the other side, building construction sites, and carparks.

Is it going to get better before the Council decide to can the whole thing? I don't know.

There are some pretty bits to the new development, though.

Heading back citywards, I thought I'd give the experience 5/10 for a good attempt, anyway. Hopefully, if it's still going in the summer, things will be fixed up, there'll actually be heritage plaques that are visible, and perhaps the trams will have fitted in more.

After all, we're the City of Sails and of the Sea. Hopefully, more of that will have come through by then.

The Animals of Zion

This is a bit of a departure from the usual heritage theme around here -- but I've always said that history isn't just something behind us and in the past, it is also in the here and now.

Putting together The Zoo War back just before Timespanner kicked off in 2008 led me to explore not just how menageries became zoos here in New Zealand, but also the fate (in many cases sad and avoidable) of the animals.

I've been watching with rising concern the recent spate of news articles and telly commentaries about the Zion Wildlife Gardens up near Whangarei. Now, the family issues, the who-did-what-and-where debates are something else entirely. There are courts and conferences between the folks concerned to try sorting all that out. But, whenever there is pressure from financial quarters when it comes to animal parks and zoos -- the welfare of the animals tends to be what's on the line. Every time.

Visit Save the Big Cats at Zion Wildlife Gardens on Facebook. This is a campaign to try to convince the local territorial authorities, and even ministers in government, to recognise the park and its animals as a valuable and intrinsic asset for the Northland region, and the wider nation.