Be Our Guest entry: Letter, Cynthia Coomber
Maker
Coomber, Cynthia
Object detail
Brief Description
Letter written to the Be Our Guest competition from Cynthia Coomber. The letter talks about her parents Ella and George Canham's experiences at the time of the 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake.
Ella, George and their three sons Noel, aged four; John, aged three and Ted, aged two lived in Vigor Brown Street, Napier. George was a telegraphist at the Napier Post and Telegraph office when the earthquake struck. Noel had been sent to buy bread at the grocer and narrowly avoided injury. John was playing outside on the lawn at home and sustained severe head injuries when a chimney fell on him. He later died and was buried at the Green Island cemetery, not as originally believed in the communal grave, but in a separate grave some distance away. His parents were unable to visit the grave or arrange a headstone until 1949.
Ella, George and their three sons Noel, aged four; John, aged three and Ted, aged two lived in Vigor Brown Street, Napier. George was a telegraphist at the Napier Post and Telegraph office when the earthquake struck. Noel had been sent to buy bread at the grocer and narrowly avoided injury. John was playing outside on the lawn at home and sustained severe head injuries when a chimney fell on him. He later died and was buried at the Green Island cemetery, not as originally believed in the communal grave, but in a separate grave some distance away. His parents were unable to visit the grave or arrange a headstone until 1949.
Maker
Production place
Production period
Production technique
Media/Materials description
Paper, printed in black ink, typed.
Media/Materials
Measurements
In the Be Our Guest Folder No 2.: Height x Width: 295 x 210mm
Classification terms
Subject person
Subject period
Subject date
03 Feb 1931
Credit line
gifted by Cynthia Coomber
Other number(s)
m2006/27, 71704
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