Queens Gardens
An evening walk through Queens Gardens on Tuesday, where almost 4000 named crosses stand for the Otago and Southland soldiers who died during WW1. At around 9am on the 8th of November 1918, whistles and bells started ringing around the city of Dunedin. Crowds started to gather in the centre, with the news of the victory. What was thought to be official news became unofficial, and it was actually not until 3 days later, on the 11th of November that the armistice was signed. But in anticipation of the end of the war, 100 years ago today, the city came to a standstill. Businesses closed, trams stopped, pedestrians filled Princes St from Manse St to the Octagon. By the afternoon, a large crowd of over 10,000 gathered (even as the weather turned, with gales, sleet and snow) to hear the Mayor and others speak, acknowledging the tender care needed for the returning soldiers and for the thousands of families, mothers and wives, for whom the day of victory had sadness. All those brave young men.
