Be Our Guest entry: Letter and copies of photographs, Patricia Teunon
Maker
Teunon, Patricia Collison
Object detail
Brief Description
Letter to the Be Our Guest competition from Patricia Teunon. Patricia writes about her memories of the 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake.
Patricia was at Westshore on 3 February 1931. Her parents had rented a brick house for their summer holiday, overlooking the inner harbour. Patricia was nearly four, and had a baby sister who was four months old. They walked up and down the road outside, seeing the water coming and going as the land was pushed up. Her father was trapped in the Harvey's Building, next to Westerman's in Hastings for some time before he made his way out of the rubble. He returned to Westshore by crawling over the Embankment railway bridge.
Their house in Hastings had the chimney fall down through the staircase but it still survives. She writes that from that day her mother always ensured that all shelves had a rail of wood to stop preserves and china from falling from them. Included is a card on which there are photocopied images of earthquake photographs.
Patricia was at Westshore on 3 February 1931. Her parents had rented a brick house for their summer holiday, overlooking the inner harbour. Patricia was nearly four, and had a baby sister who was four months old. They walked up and down the road outside, seeing the water coming and going as the land was pushed up. Her father was trapped in the Harvey's Building, next to Westerman's in Hastings for some time before he made his way out of the rubble. He returned to Westshore by crawling over the Embankment railway bridge.
Their house in Hastings had the chimney fall down through the staircase but it still survives. She writes that from that day her mother always ensured that all shelves had a rail of wood to stop preserves and china from falling from them. Included is a card on which there are photocopied images of earthquake photographs.
Maker
Production period
Production technique
Media/Materials description
Handwritten on unlined paper in black ink. Photocopies.
Media/Materials
Measurements
In the Be Our Guest Folder No 2.: Height x Width: 222 x 158mm
Height x Width: 298 x 210mm
Height x Width: 298 x 210mm
Classification terms
Subject person
Subject period
Subject date
03 Feb 1931
Credit line
gifted by Patricia Teunon
Other number(s)
m2006/27/165, 36451
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