Talk:Firefighters Reserve

Backstory
Nice to see this article! I’ve always wanted to write it. It’s old enough that contemporary media sources won’t be online. Here’s how I remember how it came about. Garry Moore was the mayor in 2001. The Christchurch firefighters were in the process of organising the 2002 world firefighters games when 9/11 happened. Garry rang the mayor of New York and suggested that a memorial be built next to the central fire station in Christchurch in time for the games the following year. Hence Christchurch was one of just four cities outside the US that received steel from the Twin Towers. As the city obviously didn’t have the project in its Long Term Plan (LTP), there was no budget for it. Council staff thus asked around for assistance. Time and materials were donated, and there is a plague in the reserve that lists the companies that were involved. Suzanne Weld, a parks planner, organised the whole affair. She later became a district councillor for Rodney District.

It’s also worth noting that the reserve immediately became a pilgrimage site for American tourists. Coach operators met flights from the US and could fill a coach or two from each incoming flight. Hence, the city council put in the coach park on Kilmore Street on the Avon River bridge next to the memorial.

Good luck finding reliable sources for that! I think city council meeting agendas and minutes are online from back then. My memory isn’t a reliable source 😎  Schwede 66  16:46, 16 December 2023 (UTC)