Be Our Guest entry: Letter and copy of photographs, Zita Gordon

Maker
Gordon, Zita

Object detail

Brief Description
Entry to the Be Our Guest competition by Zita Gordon (nee Spencer). Zita writes about memories of the 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake.

Zita Spencer was four years old and shopping for stockings with her mother in Hastings. They caught the bus and were travelling home to Townshend Street when the bus stopped at Southland Road because it was rocking so badly. Her father had a petrol station known as S S S - Spencer's Service Station, and a garage which had only just been built. The front of the garage collapsed, killing a man sitting outside in a car.

Opposite was Cedar Home, a two-storey house. Half of the house fell down on 3 February, and the other half three days later. Zita remembers sleeping on the lawn under peach trees for several days. She had two sisters and one brother who were at Hastings West School. The children were evacuated to stay in Masterton with an aunt. Included with Zita's entry was a photocopy of a page of a book with photos showing damaged buildings in Hastings.
Production period
Production technique
Media/Materials description
A4 typed and photocopied sheets.
Measurements
In the Be Our Guest Folder No 2.: Height x Width: 297 x 210mm
Subject person
Subject period
Subject date
03 Feb 1931
Credit line
gifted by Zita Gordon
Other number(s)
m2006/27/172, 36457

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