The Star: September 15, 2016

20 Thursday September 15 2016
follow us on facebook.com/riseupchristchurch
The Star
News
Let the games begin
Designer
Fashion
3000
items
arriving
daily!
See Our
HUGE
Selection!
• Designer Brands • Family Clothing
• Menswear • Footwear • Bric-a-brac
• Workman Outdoor Clothing
• Household Goods • Books
• See the Retro Section AND Formal Wear
Open Daily 7 Days
Sydenham: 39 Battersea St
Papanui: 472 Cranford St
Hornby: 94 Shands Rd
New Brighton: 52 New Brighton Mall
(Old Farmers Building)
HOURS
Mon–Sat 9am–5pm
Sun/Public Holidays 10am–4pm
New Zealand’s Largest
Recycled Clothing Retailer
The Hororata Highland
Games was the brainchild
of a group of residents
wanting to raise money
to rebuild morale and
their community facilities
following the September
2010 earthquake. Six
years later, more than
10,000 people are
expected to head to the
games in November.
Bridget Rutherford
reports
• By Bridget Rutherford
SIXTY KILOMETRES west
of Christchurch is a little rural
township sitting at the edge of
the Canterbury Plains.
You would be forgiven if you
thought it was sleepy.
It was badly hit in the
September 2010 and February
2011 earthquakes.
As a result, its stone
Anglican church was
damaged and boarded up, its
hotel was too costly for the
publican to repair and was
sold, its hall is still being used
but needs repairs, and the
district’s homesteads bore the
brunt of the quakes.
But for the past year, 200
volunteers having been busy
organising the Hororata
Highland Games.
Come November 5, more
than 9000 people will head
to the domain to watch, take
part and enjoy the games – the
largest in New Zealand.
They say all good ideas are
hatched over a nice glass of
wine, and the highland games
was no exception.
Dee Innes, a Windwhistle
farmer who has been involved
in the community for 30
years, was on the founding
committee that set up the
Hororata Community Trust,
which runs the games.
It was formed following the
September 2010 earthquake.
MUSCLE: Last year’s Oceania Heavyweight Championship was won by Ruben De Jong
(above right), who also competes in the Hororata stones competition. Among other
delicacies, Hororata whisky can be bought at the games. PHOTOS: MURRAY IRWIN
However, the group of 10
people were used to working
together before that.
In February 2010, the group
was raising money for both St
John’s Anglican Church and
Christ Church Cathedral.
“It was because Peter
Beck [former Christ Church
Cathedral dean] had told us
the Cathedral was costing
$30,000 a day or week to run,
so it was thought we could
help with that and, at the same
time, help St John’s,” Mrs
Innes said.
Ironically, both churches
were in better shape then than
they are now – the Cathedral’s
future is still unclear, and
St John’s is still boarded up
after its bell tower collapsed
through the roof.
On September 4 that year,
the 7.1 magnitude earthquake
hit, and the following day the
group members decided they
better get back together, Mrs
Innes said.
The Hororata Community
Trust was born and, in turn,
the highland games, which
has steadily grown from about
3000 people at its inaugural
event in 2011 to 9000 last year.
“We were a group that were
used to working together. I
think that was why we were so
lucky to organise a large event
afterwards,” Mrs Innes said.
“It would be fair to say the
trust was founded with the
rebuild of St John’s in mind.”
The money raised by the
trust goes back into the
community, but the idea to
start the highland games was
not just for residents, she said.
“I think people were looking
for something different
and something to get their
mind off the earthquakes
and looking to get out of
Christchurch.”