Be Our Guest entry: Letter, Colin Scott Thomson
Maker
Thomson, Colin Scott
Object detail
Brief Description
Letter to the Be Our Guest competition from Colin Scott Thomson about his memories of the 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake.
Colin was nine years old and had just started school at a new school in Fitzroy Road, Napier, near his home in Cameron Road. The earthquake struck at the end of playtime, he says at three minutes to eleven. The teachers made the children sit on the ground in a large clear space. Someone produced some loaves of bread and the children were told to eat their piece of bread very, very slowly as it might be some time before they got more to eat. Colin says it was very hot and very noisy and they had to sit there with their hats on until someone from their family came to get them.
Colin's father had a business in town and was in the National Bank in Hastings Street, Napier, when the earthquake struck. Colin's mother was at home making jam. She was in the garden picking plums. Colin's father helped get people out of buildings in town. There is a photo of him getting a chair for a woman to sit in and putting his jacket over her shoulders. Colin's mother found the jam all over the floor and made sure the gas oven was turned off.
Colin's aunt Vivienne, who worked in the office of the Acetone Company in Owen Street, Napier, was delegated to find Colin. All the family arrived home at about the same time; Colin's little sister was collected from a Cameron Road school. They salvaged what they could and put up a tent on the tennis court. The car was put on the road in case the car shed collapsed. Neighbours were visited to see if they needed anything. Water was stored in any container handy. Colin slept on the back seat of the car and ended up on the floor with each aftershock. After the earthquake, Colin's father took everyone to Feilding where he found an empty house in Halcombe Road. Everyone stayed there while he returned to Napier to stay with friends in Nelson Crescent and organise the repairs to the house. On his return to Napier, Colin went to Central School but attended classes in the dressing sheds of the tennis court at Napier Girls' High School for some time because Central School hadn't been completely repaired.
Colin was nine years old and had just started school at a new school in Fitzroy Road, Napier, near his home in Cameron Road. The earthquake struck at the end of playtime, he says at three minutes to eleven. The teachers made the children sit on the ground in a large clear space. Someone produced some loaves of bread and the children were told to eat their piece of bread very, very slowly as it might be some time before they got more to eat. Colin says it was very hot and very noisy and they had to sit there with their hats on until someone from their family came to get them.
Colin's father had a business in town and was in the National Bank in Hastings Street, Napier, when the earthquake struck. Colin's mother was at home making jam. She was in the garden picking plums. Colin's father helped get people out of buildings in town. There is a photo of him getting a chair for a woman to sit in and putting his jacket over her shoulders. Colin's mother found the jam all over the floor and made sure the gas oven was turned off.
Colin's aunt Vivienne, who worked in the office of the Acetone Company in Owen Street, Napier, was delegated to find Colin. All the family arrived home at about the same time; Colin's little sister was collected from a Cameron Road school. They salvaged what they could and put up a tent on the tennis court. The car was put on the road in case the car shed collapsed. Neighbours were visited to see if they needed anything. Water was stored in any container handy. Colin slept on the back seat of the car and ended up on the floor with each aftershock. After the earthquake, Colin's father took everyone to Feilding where he found an empty house in Halcombe Road. Everyone stayed there while he returned to Napier to stay with friends in Nelson Crescent and organise the repairs to the house. On his return to Napier, Colin went to Central School but attended classes in the dressing sheds of the tennis court at Napier Girls' High School for some time because Central School hadn't been completely repaired.
Production place
Production period
Production technique
Media/Materials description
A4 photocopied sheets, handwritten.
Media/Materials
Measurements
Height x Width: 298 x 210mm
Classification terms
Subject person
Subject period
Subject date
03 Feb 1931
Credit line
gifted by Colin Thomson
Other number(s)
m2006/27/98, 35024
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