The Star: December 21, 2023

The Star Thursday December 21 2023
12
NEWS
Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz
Orchard remembers quake victims
• By Dylan Smits
A LONG-AWAITED memorial
orchard for two Lyttelton men
who died in the February 22,
2011 earthquake is finally under
way.
Volunteers have been planting
apple trees over the past two
Sundays at the orchard on the
corner of Somes Rd and Norton
Cl.
Owen
Wright was
in Woolston
when the 6.3
magnitude
earthquake
struck.
Owen Wright
He drove
other stranded
Lyttelton residents
up the Bridle Path in his
vehicle, before setting off on foot
to get home on the other side of
the hill.
He was on the Major Hornbrook
track, 10
minutes from his
Norton Cl home
when boulders
loosened by an
aftershock struck
him.
His mother,
Faith Wright,
said the family is
Ian Foldesi
TRIBUTE: An orchard is being planted by volunteers in memory of Owen Wright and Ian
Foldesi who died in the February 22, 2011 earthquake.
pleased the orchard is underway.
“I’m happy that they are doing
the memorial orchard for two
people who died on the day of
the earthquakes.”
Ian Foldesi was walking the
Stan Helms track when the
earthquake triggered a rockslide
that swept across the track and
carried him 25 metres down a
cliff face. His body was found by
the eldest of his three daughters,
Sarah.
The original idea for the
memorial orchard was
inspired by the fruit trees,
owned by Owen Wright, already
on the site.
The land has passed through
various owners since it was red
zoned after the earthquakes.
Now the land is owned by
the city council and came
under the management of
Georgina Stanley, the Smith
Street Community Farm
manager, last month.
Stanley and her team have
stepped up to develop the
orchard after five years of the
site lacking management which
halted progress.
“We manage a 1ha urban
farm in Linwood, so we’ve got a
really good team who over the
last three years have got a lot of
experience.”
She believes the steep angle of
the site was a factor in why no
one was willing to develop the
orchard until now.
Stanley said it feels good to
fulfil the hopes of the families for
a memorial orchard after many
years.
“Spaces created by the
community have a special kind
of whimsy. They’re not the usual
big, monumental places. They
have a warmth to them.”
Using the memorial orchard to
help increase local food security
in case of a disaster is a focus for
Stanley.
“Lyttelton being isolated on the
other side of the hill, they end up
not having a lot of flat land, so
fruit trees make a lot of sense.”
Stanley plans to extend the
orchard by about 20 fruit trees
every year, but she is keeping in
mind community requests to
maintain enough green space at
the site for recreation.
NEED AUTO
ELECTRICAL REPAIRS?
NEW! European specific diagnostic equipment
– Fine tune & identify any faults.
Diagnostic Testing Starters/Alternators
Wiring Alarms: Insurance Approved
Fuel Injection ABS Airbags
Battery Checks Air Conditioning
ROSES
AUTO ELECTRICAL
rosesautoelec@gmail.com
6km and 12km
options
Supporting
charity
Buy the gift of
fun and health!
Why not inspire a loved one or friend
for Christmas! Give them a healthy
challenge and a fun day out, with an
entry to the 2024 City2Surf.
17 th
March
2024
www.city2surf.co.nz