Anniversary ceremony celebrates rebuilt Ballantynes fire memorial

A special ceremony will be held tomorrow to celebrate the completed rebuild of the Ballantynes fire memorial.

The 18th November is also the anniversary of the fire which happened in 1947.
Relatives of people who died in the fire will attend the ceremony at Ruru Lawn Cemetery in Bromley, which is the interment site for the victims.

The memorial was badly damaged in the February 2011 earthquake with several of the pillars falling. Locating replacement stone to repair the memorial was difficult as the quarries from which it was sourced are now closed. However, a local construction company had some stored stone and gifted it to the reconstruction.

A local stonemason donated additional labour to ensure the memorial was reinstated.

Mayor Lianne Dalziel will speak at the ceremony.

A $71,000 Lotteries grant, and donations from Ballantynes and a family whose relative died in the fire have helped to ensure the memorial was restored.
"The generosity of people to ensure this precious stone monument was rebuilt is incredible," Parks Unit Manager Andrew Rutledge says.

"The Ballantynes fire in 1947 is a deeply sad part of Christchurch's history and it was devastating to see the memorial damaged. While we remain solemn about the lessons learned from the fire, we celebrate the completion of this structure," he says.

Right Reverend Victoria Matthews, Bishop of Christchurch, will lead the ceremony offering spiritual support for those remembering relatives who perished in the fire.

Anyone is invited to attend the ceremony but it is respectfully asked that people stand at the back behind the seats, which are for relatives.
If it is raining, the ceremony will be held at the Transitional Cathedral from 1pm followed by wreath laying at the memorial.

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