Earthquake commemoration service in Hastings CBD

The events of the day that ‘changed Hawke’s Bay forever’ will be remembered in Hastings CBD next Tuesday (3rd February).

The commemoration service for the 84rd anniversary of the Hawke’s Bay earthquake will begin in the Central Mall in Heretaunga Street, Hastings at 10.30am this Tuesday. The bell in the clock tower will ring out at 10.46am, to mark the exact time that the quake struck.

The massive earthquake on February 3rd 1931 is the single greatest natural disaster in the region’s recorded history. 93 lives were lost in Hastings, buildings collapsed, fires broke out and roads were destroyed.

Mayor Lawrence Yule says “It is vitally important that the city continues to remember those who died in the earthquake and the people who helped rebuild the city over the following years. Our citizens united at that time with a determination to rebuild and that determination to succeed lives on today.”

Councillor Kevin Watkins will lead the service. He says “From the devastation of 1931 came a determination to succeed. Much of the CBD that we see today is testament to the tenacity of the survivors and the vision of the city’s fathers.”

“It is fitting that we will again gather to remember those who lost their lives and those whose lives were changed forever as a result of the Hawke’s Bay earthquake,” Councillor Watkins says.

Pipers from the Hastings City Pipe Band will walk from each end of the CBD to arrive at the centre of the CBD at 10.30am which will mark the beginning of the service. The dignitaries will be welcomed to the stage by performers from the Kahurangi Maori Dance Theatre, while the service will include an address by Hawke’s Bay based historian Michael Fowler and the laying of a wreath by Mayor Lawrence Yule.

A special invitation to attend the earthquake commemoration service is extended to survivors and their families. The service will begin promptly at 10.30am on Tuesday February 3rd in the Central Mall near the clock tower. Seating will be available for survivors and their families.

4 October 2017

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