Posts by Bevan Shortridge
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A few years ago my sister transcribed my great aunt’s diary for 1918. Aunty Rosa was 21 and staying with her parents in rural Northland while her husband was away at the war (they married in 1917 and he went overseas shortly after). As part of the diary she records some of the impact of the epidemic in the local area.
Her father was a carpenter and builder and had the task of making more and more coffins during November. The names of several people who died are recorded in the diary as a new coffin was needed. She and others helped look after babies when the parents were taken ill and taken to the ‘Hall’ which acted as a hospital. Among the different details noted are, on 7 November, ‘No Akd mail as crew of Manaia bad with influenza’.
Her diary is very sporadic in December 1918 after she too contracted the ‘flu. Her sister went to get a nurse ’who said I had the “flu” & had to stay in bed for 10 days & my temperature was up to 100’.
The next day the nurse ‘came about 10.30; wouldn’t say what temperature I
was & said I wasn’t to get out of bed on any account. Said I was getting on
alright’.She did survive and was reunited with her husband. There must be a few diaries around the country that have such stories in them. I wonder if copies should be taken and deposited somewhere?
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Here is a long form, eloquent interview with Joe Delaney, one of the residents from the Grenfell building.
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Robin Cook’s speech in Parliament upon his resignation from cabinet in 2003 over the war is online, and worth watching:
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I'm wondering, are lawyer-client emails subject to privilege as communications? I'd imagine a fair few may have been caught up in a dragnet.
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I'm presuming interpreters will be used? What happens to them afterwards? Because it seemed to take a while (three years) for those who helped the SAS in Afghanistan to begin to be sorted: SAS interpreters win NZ reprieve
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Saxophonist Bobby Keys (died on Tuesday) in concert with Joe Cocker on Mad Dogs & Englishmen tour with The Letter:
Ian McLagan (died on Wednesday) on keyboards with the Faces on Stay With Me:
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This First Dog On The Moon cartoon from 24 September is likely worth a look too:
Isis's letter to the west -
Guy Espiner’s RNZ Morning Report interview with John Key At The End of the Day
[edit - removed a random ’t’]
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Have seen this referenced on twitter but not here. There is an ebook now.
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