The Star: November 16, 2017

18 Thursday November 16 2017
Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi
The Star
Our People
Supporting quake survivors, victims and families
Where did you work before
CTV?
I was in the post office from
1962-76 as an engineering associate.
We used to design telephone
exchanges, but that’s all changed
now. Then I went off and did
23 years of social work helping
people.
What do you do in your spare
time?
I’m still on the trust in Oxford.
At CTV, I was always fixing everyone’s
cellphones. I still do that
on the side and I’ve always got
my head in a computer. I spend
a lot of time with my family. My
wife Christine died in 2015 and
I’ve got six kids, 18 grandchildren
and two great grandchildren,
so they keep me occupied.
They live all over. My kids take
me fishing sometimes. I do a lot
of swimming, I try and go a couple
times a week – but sometimes
it happens; sometimes it doesn’t
(laughs).
How did you and Christine
meet?
There used to be a lot of church
dances. This one, it was a fancy
dress dance, I was in a skeleton
costume, or something like that.
We had known each other from
youth groups and stuff. We got
engaged on April Fools Day
and married on Guy Fawkes. I
POST-QUAKE: Peter Brown with CTV staff and former staff on February 22, 2012, when they
were allowed back on the site for a remembrance ceremony.
wondered about the method of
that, I think it was for my sake so
I didn’t forget those big days.
And you’re still waiting
on a decision regarding the
investigation into the collapse
of the CTV Building?
The evidence has got to be
far more thorough. The Royal
Commission was designed to
find out what went wrong and to
fix that.
The criminal investigation
is to convict someone. We’ve
just got to wait until they make
that decision. I’m hopeful
there will be something out
before Christmas, I’d rather it’s
thorough. If they do go ahead,
this will be hard for the families
involved and just as hard for the
people who survived because
they will have to give evidence
and you’ve got to relive the
whole thing. It’s hard to move
on in Christchurch, there’s
always something to do with
the earthquake every day in the
news.
What do you think of the new
landscaping plans for the CTV
site?
I think it’s good. We’ve always
wanted it to be a reflective site
where people can go and just sit.
It’s got the cherry blossoms for
the Japanese. We had to fight for
it to begin with but, once Canterbury
Earthquake Recovery
Authority got hold of it, it was
good.
Do you find earthquakes
frightening?
No, unless there’s a really big
one. I won’t say you get immune
to them. I remember when my
daughter visited, there was a
rattle and she got under the
doorway and the rest of us just
sat there and said ‘it’s only a 4.5
don’t worry’.
•A police spokeswoman
said she could not give a
date for when a decision
would be made on whether
charges would be laid for
the collapse of the CTV
Building. Police said the
investigation is in its final
stage.
Christchurch’s new Memorial Avenue Gateway Bridge
is open to traffic but we are not finished yet!
There will be speed restrictions and other traffic management on and around the bridge
over the next few months while the project team lay the final road surface and carry out
other work to complete the Russley Road Upgrade.
Please drive with extra care and pay close attention to the signage to ensure you are in
the correct lane to get to your destination. Thanks for your patience and understanding.
More information www.nzta.govt.nz/russley-road
Russley Road upgrade