Suspected vandalism of Ashburton clock tower
From local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
Asburton’s iconic clock tower may have been the victim of vandalism – but identifying the culprits may take time.
Police have been alerted after a glass panel was smashed on Saturday night.
The Ashburton District Council said CCTV footage is being reviewed.
“Our security contractors have reviewed some footage, and can determine that the glass shattered on Saturday night, about 9pm,” council business support general manager Leanne Macdonald said.
“We have laid a complaint with police and investigations are continuing,”
As the glass was broken at night it may prove difficult to identify the offenders.
Ashburton police declined to comment on the incident.
The council will call in a clock engineer to check the workings as fragments of the shattered safety glass “were all over the place”, Macdonald said.
The glass was tidied on Wednesday by contractors who installed a temporary window until a replacement can be sourced.
“The glazier has ordered the glass and hopes to have it up by the end of next week.
The council has made an insurance claim to cover the repairs.
It is unclear how much the repairs will cost.
The council was unaware of any previous vandalism of the clock tower in at least the last decade.
The clock tower in Baring Square East originally started out in Ashburton's post office clock tower in 1904.
Following the 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake and the 1942 Wairarapa earthquake, the tower was removed as ordered by central government and put into storage.
The clock was resurrected in the 1970s by the Ashburton Lions Club while the tower was designed by Warren and Mahoney Architects and built by Bradford Construction Ltd.
It was erected in Baring Square East and at 4pm on November 26, 1976, the clock and chimes sprung back into action as part of the Baring Square East revamp to commemorate 100 years of local government in the Ashburton County
Here's Friday's Fizzler!
I can be written, I can be spoken, I can be exposed, I can be broken. What am I?
Do you think you know the answer to our daily riddle? Don't spoil it for your neighbours! Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm.
Want to stop seeing riddles in your newsfeed?
Head here and hover on the Following button on the top right of the page (and it will show Unfollow) and then click it. If it is giving you the option to Follow, then you've successfully unfollowed the Riddles page.
Poll: Should drivers retake the theory test every 10 years?
Drivers get where they need to go, but sometimes it seems that we are all abiding by different road rules (for example, the varying ways drivers indicate around a roundabout).
Do you think drivers should be required to take a quick driving theory test every 10 years?
Vote in the poll and share any road rules that you've seen bent! 😱
-
48.3% Yes
-
49.8% No
-
2% Other - I'll share below
Hero
“I was born and raised in war. To be honest, those are not good memories.
I really like Iran, and I really miss it, but I couldn’t be myself there. Even though my family didn’t like my decision, I left Iran. I promised myself that I would do whatever I can for all communities, especially for the kids, so they do not have the same experience I had.
I studied software engineering in Iran and left in 2006. I went to Malaysia and stayed in Kuala Lumpur for seven years. I was admitted to Lincoln University to do my PhD here, but unfortunately, I couldn’t afford the expenses. I requested a scholarship, but they told me I had to be there for six months first. So, I stayed in Malaysia and did my PhD in network security. In December 2013, I came to New Zealand with a work visa.
It took me a while to connect with the Iranian community here. I volunteered with the Multicultural Council, SPCA, and community patrol, and I established the Christchurch Iranian Society in 2017. Before that, I started working on Radio Toranj, the only Farsi-language radio show in New Zealand.
One of the reasons I started organizing cultural events was to showcase Iranian culture. I wanted to show people that we have delicious food, colorful dresses, traditional customs, and our own instruments. My hope was to show people that we are not what you see in the media.
I am working to involve all the communities that celebrate Nowruz, the Persian New Year, in the Nowruz festival in March 2025. We want to share this celebration not only with our community but with the public as well. It’s better when it’s shared.
I remember the first time someone from Dunedin called me and asked, Hero, can you help? Something happened, and they keep declining Iranian visa applications. When I heard that, I felt insulted. We are still human, so how can they do that?
Through this journey, I’ve learned a lot. Every single day, people with different cases call me, and I try to share my knowledge and guide them as much as I can.
I have received several awards, including the Christchurch Civic Award and an Award of Recognition for my contributions to the community during the pandemic. In 2021, I established Canterbury Kia Ora Academy, a charitable trust. Through this charity, I can help other communities as well, not just the Iranian community.”
- Hero
View more stories, or nominate someone: @humansofchch
www.humansofchch.org......
Loading…
