Surprise time capsule

Press, 18 February 1989, Page 2

Surprise time capsule

By

PAM MORTON

A time capsule unexpectedly recovered from the base of Queen Victoria’s statue in Victoria Square was yesterday unveiled by the Mayor, Sir Hamish Hay. Inside the glass jar was a copy of the “Lyttleton Times” dated June 22, .1901. . -' ? A conservator with the Robert McDougall Art Gallery, Mrs Lynn Campbell, said the newspaper had probably been put in the jar by a stonemason working on the statue’s base. The newspaper in-

cluded references of a Royal visit to Christchurch in June by the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York, King George V and Queen Mary. Mention was also made of a forthcoming by-elec-tion in Christchurch and that houses in Linwood were being offered for sale for £475. Mrs Campbell said the paper would be cleaned, the holes mended, and encapsulated in clear plastic to preserve it. Christchurch City Council’s deputy general manager (parks), Mr Rob

Dally, said , the time capsule under the statue of Captain Cook would be opened on the site early next week. The time capsule was placed there in 1932 when the statue was erected. It is thought to contain a parchment with the names of all councillors and council officers and a message about life in the city during the Depression. Mr Dally said a new capsule would be placed under the statue containing a newspaper, a council handbook, coins and a message from the Mayor.