The Rev'd David Crooke reflects on a major restoration project at St Peter's Church in Christchurch and meeting old friends from the Diocese of Dunedin.

After a huge fundraising effort, 'the church at Church Corner', St Peter's Anglican Church Upper Riccarton, Christchurch has reopened after restoration and improvement.

St Peter's was badly damaged in the earthquake ten years ago. 

Parish Support for Petergate Counselling helped provide free professional trauma counselling to many young people, for three years after the earthquakes.

More recently, on its large site, the Parish opened an Anglican pre-school. Many of the children belong to immigrant families.

Thanks to my sister, Pam Hunt, I was able to attend St Peter's Patronal Festival Eucharist on 27 June, with its delayed reopening. 

What surprised me most was the impact of people from the Diocese of Dunedin, and from Southland in particular, over recent years. 

Because the vicar, the Ven Nick Mountfort had been on study leave, it was time to farewell the Rev'd Ken Light * after four months as Priest-in-Charge. At the dinner at Riccarton Park on the Sunday evening, Ken and Lynette were warmly thanked. 

The Chair at the dinner was the Rev'd David Winfield (Holy Trinity Invercargill 1983-90). David and Jo took a major part in fundraising for the restoration.

Their daughter, Amanda and her husband Ravil Atlas, are now living in Christchurch after significant music careers in the UK. Recently Amanda was soprano soloist at the Beethoven Ode to Joy concert in the Dunedin Town Hall, while Ravil is having a major impact on choral music in Christchurch.

On the Sunday afternoon, Ravil's Choir 'Spirito' (see Atlas Voices) sang at the Choral Evensong at St Peter's, with his father-in-law as Cantor.

It was a joy to chat with the Ven Malcolm and Pam May, the vicar at Church Corner 1971-89 (vicar Upper Clutha 1991-94). Malcolm turned 90 this year. 

Meeting up with the Rev'd Dennis and Gwen Guild is always full of banter. They have warm memories of friends in Invercargill at at St Nicholas' Waverley. Dennis has headed the volunteer group tidying up the church grounds at St Peter's on Sunday mornings. 

Even Bishop David Coles, guest speaker at the dinner, has been a valued vicar in our Diocese (Wakatipu 2008-14). He paid a wonderful tribute to the late Bishop John Osmers, from our companion diocese of Eastern Zambia. Bishop John has been an inspiration to many on both sides of the Waitaki River. 

David Crooke

* Ken Light - Wyndham 1974-8, Waimea Plains 1978-82, Balclutha 1982-88, St John's Invercargill, 1988-97, St Mary's Mornington 1997-2002, Waitaki North Oamaru (2012-2015)