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Christchurch Quake brings out best in...
by NewZelandNz.co.nz
on 03/28/2011 - 11:27 am
Categories: Events, Latest News, South Island
Out of the quake some good came
One of the few positive things to come out of the recent Christchurch earthquake has been the way the youth of the city and provInce responded. People of my generation (baby boomers) have been extremely critical of the youth of today. Doubtless that has been the same with every generation since we emerged from the primeval ooze. But how wrong we were, this time at least.
The student army that was mobilised following the initial earthquake in September really came to the fore in the tragic and devastating event on 22nd February. I was proud of them and on behalf of my generation I applaud their big- hearted efforts.
I was involved with Rangiora Express, a volunteer organization that was created out of thin air on the initiative of a local couple who felt they had to do ‘something‘ to support the victims and rescue workers in the city.
Rangiora Express commandeered the Rangiora racecourse for the first few days. With goods and food donated by local businesses and people, hot meals and other supplies were ferried into the worst hit parts of Christchurch. Private helicopters, the airforce and a variety of vehicles transported thousands of meals over the period of the great ‘cook up’. The operation to supply hot food wound down and the Express moved from the racecourse into the township. However, despite the change of role for the Rangiora Express, there was still food to be prepared. The kitchen at a local restaurant was used briefly and then the search began to find another cooking venue. It ended up being my own home. Having what amounts to a complete outdoor kitchen as well as a conventional kitchen. At one point we had 11-people cooking and packing food containers. It was controlled chaos, but it worked and after two hectic days we had cleared the available food and folded our private operation. Yes, it did feel good to have been involved in helping the relief effort.
Back to our young people. The motivator for this extended cooking bee that followed the Rangiora Express’s initiative was a young mother in her early 20’s. She drove this whole effort. We will call her N for privacy reasons. N and her younger brother, a high school student strategised, organized and coordinated the whole thing as well as delivering the food to a distribution centre in the city. Again I applaud these bright youngsters. Well done. The future is secure in their hands.
