Hanmer War Hospital Brought Back To Life

Hurunui’s fallen soldiers were remembered at two events
on Anzac Day.

The Soldiers’ Block in the former
Queen Mary Hospital grounds in Hanmer Springs was brought
back to life for its official opening on Friday afternoon
while a new war memorial was unveiled in Culverden
earlier.

Hurunui Mayor Marie Black said the $3.6m
Soldiers’ Block restoration was the culmination of two
decades of community advocacy to preserve the
site.

‘‘It is tremendous. It demonstrates the
value of working in the community.’’

The Soldiers
Block opened in 1916 to support soldiers recovering from the
horrors of World War 1, being built alongside the hot
springs, long valued for healing qualities.

Queen Mary
Hospital later became a mental health hospital, and then a
drug and alcohol addiction treatment centre under the Taha
Māori recovery programme up until 2003.

The Ministry
of Health had intentions to sell the site, but the local
community rallied round and it was eventually vested in the
council in 2010.

The restoration was made possible by
funding from Government, the Lotteries Commission, the Rata
Foundation and the council’s earthquake fund.

Hanmer
Springs firm O’Brien Construction was awarded the contract
and began work restoring the Soldiers’ Block in May last
year.

‘‘It has been an enjoyable job,’’ Mark
O’Brien said.

‘‘The building was very sound. It
was in very good condition considering its
age.’’

To ensure the building survives for another
100 years, O’Brien Construction laid down new foundations,
with 64 piles drilled into the ground 900mm deep.

The
floors were then restored with the same material as the
original floors – Jarrah in the wards and rimu in the
hallway.

Hanmer Springs business owner Jason Fletcher
was a driving force behind the project.

He said the
Soldiers’ Block is now open for community use for events
and community functions and there is a community fitness
centre onsite.

A wharenui attached to the Soldiers’
Block is also being restored by Ngāti Kūri and will be
officially opened later in the year.

Long term the
community plans to turn the Soldiers’ Block into an
interactive museum, bringing the stories of the soldiers
back to life.

The Queen Mary Historic Reserve Trust
has been working with Weta Workshop on the design, but will
need to raise around $6m.

Anzac Day services returned
to Culverden after a four year absence with the unveiling of
a new war memorial, a six-metre high Corten steel laser-cut
soldier and poppy that will be lit up at night.

The
$150,000 project was made possible thanks to the legacy of
the Rutherford family, which has been farming in the
district since 1860.

Duncan Rutherford built a drill
hall in the town in 1902, donating it to the community for
the mounted rifles to use for training.

The hall
served the community for 80 years until it was sold, with
the proceeds put away for ‘‘a special
project’’.

‘‘This is that special
project,’’ Amuri Community Committee chairperson David
Croft said.

‘‘Those funds went a long way towards
meeting our goal and it was made possible because of the
generosity of so many businesses and
individuals.’’

Funding was also received from the
Lotteries Commission, the council and a local community cull
cow drive.

A $5000 grant from the council’s
contestable fund allowed for two storyboards to be made,
telling the stories of the men who gave their lives in the
two world wars.

The memorial is now taking pride of
place in the Rutherford Railway Reserve.

Duncan
Rutherford’s descendants came out in force, including his
grandson, 103-year-old John Rutherford.

John
Rutherford was joined by some of his great-grandchildren to
plant a tree to mark the occasion.

LDR is local
body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On
Air.

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