“Grief is the Price We Pay for Love”: The National Christchurch Memorial Service

 People began flowing into the park early in the day. As families and friends spread out blankets and cushions to sit on, various local musicians and Maori artists performed musical tributes. Salvation Army and National Welfare volunteers roamed the crowd, handing out tissues in preparation for what everyone knew would be a solemn and tearful event.

At noon, the Woolston Bass Band marked the unofficial opening of the ceremony. At 12:15, Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker greeted the audience and introduced a 14-minute video of previously unavailable images of the destruction. There was no background music to the video; just a series of powerful photos of building collapse. The enormous crowd was starkly silent as the video played—only erupting into applause when urban search and rescue teams and firefighters and police officers made an appearance. Following the video, the official ceremony began at 12:30 sharp.

The service was one of the most exceptional events I have ever attended. Prince William delivered a particularly moving speech, where he quoted his grandmother who once said to him that “grief is the price we pay for love.” He also remarked on the resilience of Cantabarians and said they were an “inspiration” to people the world over.

 Mayor Bob Parker spoke on two separate occasions, and both times was met by raucous applause. Several other noted political figures, including New Zealand Prime Minister John Key and Opposition Leader Phil Goff both spoke during the ceremony as well. Common threads ran across the various addresses, including: an offering of condolences to the Japanese people; recognition of the trauma caused by the back to back earthquake events in September and February in Christchurch; and observations of the extraordinary bravery, courage, and resilience shown by the people of Canterbury.

 Additional highlights of the service included a beautiful acoustic rendition of the song “Loyal” by noted New Zealand Artist Dave Dobbyn and a performance of “Amazing Grace” by opera singer and native of Christchurch Hayley Westenra. The ceremony ended with an inspirational and uplifting video of the emergency response and recovery efforts of officials and volunteers (the images of Bob Parker going into the port-a-loo got a big laugh). 

 The full program for the memorial service is available here: The National Christchurch Memorial Service – Friday 18 March 2011

 Kia Kaha Christchurch

Figure 1. National Christchurch Memorial Service, March 18, 2011.	Figure 2. Banner that flew overhead during the memorial service.
Figure 3. Prince William delivering remarks at the service.	Figure 4. Tens of thousands of people attended the service.
Figure 5. People streaming into the park prior to the service.	Figure 6. Several large screens were set up to broadcast the event.

Figure 7. Performance by Maori people prior to the event.