Key Events

Documentary screening: Citizen Soldier: ake ake kia kaha – forever strong

Take a journey back through the last 150 years of the Second Canterbury Nelson, Marlbrough, West Coast Battalion Group; as we talk with soldiers who epitomise what it means to be a member of the Reserve Forces and discover how they have helped to shape our community.

In a creative mix of interviews, archival photos and footage captured during the 150th anniversary celebrations of this Battalion Group, held in Christchurch in June 2009 you will learn about their deployments to defend as well as their peace-building efforts.

This documentary is intended to give you a glimpse into the life of New Zealand Army soldiers coupled with an understanding and appreciation for how those in the Reserve Forces succeed through discipline, experience, training and teamwork.

Discover how the Second Canterbury Regiment soldiers personify the Unit motto: Ake Ake Kia Kaha – Forever And Ever Be Strong!

Two screenings daily (except Wednesday 21 October).
Duration 22 minutes

Saturday 17 October – Monday 26 October 2009

12.30pm-1.00pm, 1.00pm–1.30pm

The Christchurch Art Gallery, Worcester Boulevard

FREE

Disabled access: Yes

Plaque Unveiling - Second Canterbury, Nelson, Marlborough, West Coast Battalion Group

Join New Zealand's oldest Army Unit; the Second Canterbury, Marlborough, Nelson and West Coast Battalion Group, as they commemorate 150 years of service to their country with a plaque unveiling at the Bridge of Remembrance. The Regiment's Band will play as the official colours are marched into place before a formal welcome. The ceremony will conclude with the plaque unveiling delivered by dignitaries.

Monday 26 October 2009, 1.00pm

The Bridge of Remembrance, Oxford Terrace

It's Swing Time in Christchurch

Take a seat amongst the planes at The Air Force Museum and be entertained as we reflect on the music that kept our spirits up through the wars years. The stage set will be a 1940s radio broadcast studio set beside a traditional dance hall. You will be transported back in time as you listen to the NewstalkZB AllStars Big Band performing iconic music from the 30s and 40s, while swing dance duo Sweet n Hot will inspire you with the glamour and pizzazz of their high-energy dance performance...it's Swing Time in Christchurch!

To complete the experience images of Peace and Conflict will be played on the big screen plus there will even be time for the audience to kick up their heels at the end of the show!

Swing music is synonymous with the war years; born out of the desire to find freedom it is an expression of courage and hope. With soaring melodies and touching lyrics swing music united men and women across the world as they faced uncertainty and separation during World War II. The radio became a focal point in most households; delivering the sounds of swing coupled with news from the frontline. The upbeat music helped to dispel anxiety and gave those at home hope that their loved ones would soon return.

The Air Force Museum, 45 Harvard Avenue, Wigram

Sunday 18 October 2009

4.00pm–6.00pm

Free

Disability facilities available

Parking available, in the main car park

The Bailies Bar Heritage Week Quiz Night

There are quiz nights and then there is the Bailies Bar Heritage Week Quiz Night! Following a 'Call To Order' delivered by the Town Crier, the traditional Heritage Week quiz night will take on a new format with Quiz Master Dean Lester at the helm and the incredibly entertaining Court Jesters ensuring that the evening runs with military precision.

Teams of four are invited to enlist and test their knowledge of matters relating to 'Peace and Conflict' plus there will be some general heritage questions to even out the playing field and a couple of surprises too! There are lots of prizes to be won so be sure to secure a place for your team early as space is limited.

Bailies Bar, Warners Historic Hotel, Cathedral Square

Wednesday 21 October 2009

7.00pm-9.30pm

FREE but limited entries so be in quick

To register your team of four, emailheritage@ccc.govt.nz or phone Aimee Holland on 941 8628

Disability access available

Windows into our Past

During Beca Heritage Week a selection of protected inner city buildings, all registered by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust, will be used as stunning backdrops showcasing images from the collections of Canterbury Museum and National Archives.

A short DVD programme will show still and moving images of Christchurch in times of peace and conflict and will be played on large plasma screens positioned in and around these significant inner city heritage buildings.

See map for locations »

Friday 16 – Monday 26 October 2009, Continuous screenings, 24-hours a day!

This event is kindly supported by Shipleys Audiovisual, the Christchurch Art Gallery and Hanafins Kodak Express.

Win the opportunity to protect your own heritage!

In addition to this entertaining and educational programme there is the opportunity to have your family’s historic photographs and slides digitised. Be in to win one of five Hanafins Shoebox slide and print scanning vouchers - each valued at $150.

How to enter: Check out these questions to win »

View one of the on-site DVDs for the final clue and you could win one of five Hanafins Shoebox slide and print scanning vouchers - each valued at $150.
Don’t forget you must also view one of the on-site DVDs to find the final clue.

Never Be Afraid: a New Zealand Soldier Writes to His Niece About Life in a Prisoner of War Camp

A compelling exhibition that provides a unique account of the day-to-day activities of Dudley Muff, a New Zealand prisoner of war held in a German prisoner of war camp. Dudley's diary, written to his four year old niece, is an imaginative means to communicate his life as-it-is-lived. Through his little men caricatures of fellow prisoners and their captors, Dudley explores the human spirit. His message to the viewer 'never be afraid', is a reminder of the many ways people have endured captivity. Life in the camp is presented as a series of adventures, making it possible to sense the life and death challenges inherent in the activities of these little men.

Our City O-Tautahi, Corner Worcester Boulevard & Oxford Terrace

Tuesday 13 October – Saturday 21 November 2009.

Displays are open Monday-Saturday 10am to 4pm, Sunday 18 and Monday 26 October 10am to 4pm (Labour Weekend)

FREE

No parking

Disabled access is available

Announcing the Fendalton-Waimairi Community Board Heritage Awards

BECA Heritage Week 2009 is an exciting time for the Fendalton-Waimairi Ward, as it marks the launch of a community focused Heritage Award recognising the preservation and restoration of heritage in the Fendalton-Waimairi area. Residents are invited to submit applications under a number of categories including:

Heritage Retention – recognising a building, place or object that has been saved from demolition or loss.
Caretaker Award – recognising heritage maintenance and conservation.
Heritage Development – recognising significant improvements made to a heritage environment to enable it to have a new use while retaining it's heritage status.
Heritage Education and Exploration – recognising initiatives undertaken by individuals or community groups to increase awareness of the Ward's heritage.
Heritage Involvement; Children and Young People – recognising projects conducted by children and young people that revolve around heritage.
Maori Heritage – recognising tangible and intangible cultural heritage.
Applications will be assessed by a panel of expert judges and an awards ceremony will be held at the end of November 2009.

For more information and to download an application form »

Secret Gardens in the City

Floral Clock, Victoria Square in bloom during Beca Heritage Week

The Floral Clock was gifted to the citizens of Christchurch on 5 April 1955 by the Calder Mackay Company and the Christchurch Beautifying Association. It is a Group 4 protected heritage item in the Christchurch City Plan. The face of the clock is 8.2 metres in diameter and requires about 14 000 plants each year for the floral design. Two plantings are undertaken per year with a different pattern for each one, there is a planting in the autumn and another in spring.

This year for Beca Heritage Week the Floral Clock has been planted with red poppies – the international symbol of remembrance for fallen servicemen and women – with the words 'Lest We Forget' planted in honeysuckle.

Abberley Park – From Vegetables to Roses – the Women's Land Army Plots

Abberley Park is a unique historic site and is a Group 3 protected heritage place in the Christchurch City Plan. In 1938 after the death of its then owner, John Hobbs Kirk, several of the original fifty acres of the Abberley homestead and farm, was gifted to the Christchurch City Council for use as a park.

While these days it is used as a scenic recreational space with a fragrant rose garden, in the past it had a garden with an extremely different purpose. During World War Two (1939-1945) the Women's Voluntary Land Army planted vegetable crops to alleviate wartime food. For Beca Heritage Week, a small vegetable garden has been planted outside the Abberley Park Hall to acknowledge this important association to the land. Keep watch for the likes of silver beets, lettuces and broad beans sprouting during October!