‘Time capsule’ burial in park

Press, 14 February 1986, Page 5

‘Time capsule’ burial in park

A "time capsule” will be buried on Peace and People’s Day on Sunday, the final day of this year’s Summer Times programme. Organisers want to encourage people to bring small items and mementoes of life in the city during this summer. The capsule will be buried at an as yet undecided spot in North Hagley Park. A map marking the spot will be given to those attending on the day. The programme’s

planner, Ms Sand McDougall, said it was hoped in 10 years to dig up the capsule to see how much the Summer Times programme had changed and what life had been like in Christchurch. Suggestions for the capsule included newspaper clippings, food wrappers, a list of popular sayings and crazes, tape covers of popular bands and performers, as well as earrings and fashion pieces. All sorts of small items

would be considered to go in the 10-litre plastic capsule, said Ms McDougall. The theme of peace for the day has been chosen to support the United Nations designation of 1986 as the International Year of Peace. During the day cultural groups will give dance and songs from their cultures. A wide selection of ethnic food will be offered at stalls and a Maori hangi will be opened in the afternoon.

The Pacific Roadshow, a group of artists, will present original Latin American, rock, reggae, jazz, country, and folk music. Members of the group come from diverse cultures, including Maori, German, French, Austrian, American, Jamaican, Chilean and New Zealand. At 4.30 p.m. cyclists in “The Press” Fun Ride will arrive at Hagley Park for their prize-giving. The United Nations International Year of

Peace Committee will set up a post office where letters calling for peace can be written to overseas leaders. Representations of weapons and war will be hung on a bamboo tower. Towards the end of the day the tower will be pulled down as a symbolic protest against war, especially nuclear war. At the end of the day homing pigeons will be released.