Five AA Australia: Manning & Godfrey on Christchurch Quake + Cricket World Cup Australia V New Zealand

[caption id="attachment_1642" align="alignleft" width="300"] Peter Godfrey and Selwyn Manning.[/caption] Recorded on 26/02/15: On Across The Ditch this week Selwyn Manning and Peter Godfrey discuss the fourth anniversary since the Christchurch earthquake. Also discussed, the looming game of Cricket between Australia and New Zealand. ITEM ONE: This week New Zealand remembered the 2011 Christchurch earthquake and the impact it had on the Canterbury region and the country. Last night TVNZ broadcast a graphic documentary of footage taken at the time of the 6.3 magnitude quake and during the ensuring hours. It was a reminder of the utter devastation that befell Christchurch, of the disaster that caused the deaths of 185 people and injured several thousand others. In some ways it seems much longer than just four years since the quake. Each year, since it struck, people quietly commemorate those who showed courage, those who brought comfort to others trapped under concrete, iron girders, and rubble, and to people who brought hope and rescue to those who survived. The quake struck on Tuesday February 22 2011 at 12.51 p.m. It couldn’t have struck at a worse time. It was lunchtime, thousands of people were on the move, in the streets. New Zealand History website records is as follows: “More than 110 fatalities were caused by the collapse of two multi-storey office buildings – the Canterbury Television and Pyne Gould Corporation buildings. Falling bricks and masonry on Manchester St and in Cashel Mall killed 11 people, and six died in two city buses crushed by crumbling walls. Rock cliffs behind houses collapsed in the Sumner and Redcliffs area, and boulders tumbled down the Port Hills, with five people killed by falling rocks.” The Canterbury region is slowly rebuilding, returning to a normality that people once took for granted. But Cantabrians speak of how people remain affected. Some remain traumatised. One young teenager still cannot sleep without the lights on. People tend to avoid the CBD which is now mostly flattened, where central city buildings once stood, and much of the land to the east of the city is damaged, unable to be built on. Life goes on, but the heart of Christchurch City barely has a pulse. It is recovering, but it has a long long way to go. ITEM TWO: The Cricket World Cup matches may not get any better than this… Australia V New Zealand… The two in-form teams square off tomorrow (Saturday) at Eden Park here in Auckland at 2pm NZ Time… And the pre-match sledging has begun! This week Aussie’s opener David Warner was told Eden Park will be a pressure cooker atmosphere… He said: ”Perfect. I hope they come out and boo us and give us crap like they always do… That’s what’s going to happen. We love it, it gets us up and going, gets the adrenaline going for sure.” Warner says he will let his bat do the talking. The Black Caps coach Mike Hesson said, when on the field, the Kiwis will focus on doing the business. About sledging, he said his team would “soak it up as best we can”. One things for sure, it’s going to be a cracker! Across The Ditch broadcasts live on Five AA Australia and webcasts on LiveNews.co.nz and ForeignAffairs.co.nz. –]]>