Prayer for the nurses
We now take a moment to pray for those nurses-
A lot of whom came out from distant shores to work in our land-our whenua
And who paid the ultimate price, the day the land ruptured
E te atua. Compassionate god, source of all truth, and love,
We pray that peace-te rangimarie be upon their souls, that they
Are at peace, in the heart of your loving embrace.
Bless the life they lived and all the people they ever loved.
Bless the work they did, what they made with their hands, their heart and their love.
Bless the peace that surrounds them here as they fly free.
May their families too, o god be forever consoled both by this and their memories of their beloved
May the dreams these nurses had, inspire others to become a beacon of light, a beacon of hope, and an oasis of serenity in the weight of pain and suffering.
And we pray for peace in our world, for whatever and who ever is in your hearts desires.
May all of you be protected as you go into the unfolding day
Written by Angela McCormick
(chaplain and retired RN)
McKenna was among several residents of Ōtautahi/Christchurch who turned out this month to remember 53 nurses killed in the magnitude 6.3 quake.
Her father, Christchurch Hospital nurse manager Eoin (Owen) McKenna, was one — he was just 41 when he lost his life that day.
McKenna is now preparing to follow in her dad’s footsteps into the nursing profession.
“There are lots of different reasons, but my dad would be a big part of that,” said McKenna, currently working as a health aide.
‘It was fabulous to meet her and hear her story and to hear that she’s going to go nursing is just wonderful.’
She said it was good to meet nurses at the event who had worked with her dad.
“It was really nice to be able to attend and just know that there are still people who value those who were lost,” she said. “To be able to meet some of the nurses who were there who previously worked with my dad, was a really nice connection.”
McKenna — who came after seeing a Kaitiaki story about the event — was pleased that the international nursing losses were recognised, with the wreath laid at different parts of the wall each year: “That there are still people involved in the nursing world who acknowledge all of them — not just those who worked at the hospital, but all of those who were involved in nursing who were in Christchurch at the time of the earthquake.”
Of the 185 people who died on February 22, 53 were nurses — many from overseas studying English in the CTV building that collapsed.
Reluctant to talk too much about her own private loss, McKenna said the day was for “everyone”.
“It’s not just about him — it’s about everyone and all the families who lost someone. I was just the only one lucky enough to attend.”
Christchurch nurse Janine Randle, who makes and lays a wreath every year, said she was thrilled to meet McKenna and hear she would be following in her father’s nursing footsteps.
“It was fabulous to meet her and hear her story and to hear that she’s going to go nursing is just wonderful,” Randle told Kaitiaki.
Attendance at the yearly event had dwindled since community members and media initially thronged to the event when it started in 2018, she said.
“In 2018, we had TV, the mayor – it was well known. But of course, people forget and so it’s timely that was reminded again.”
This year, more people turned up and, unlike previous years, it was “sunny and warm, not wet and cold — so you can’t ask for better than that”.
Read about Janine Randle’s annual wreath laying here. And read it in te reo Māori here.
Randle had the idea to lay the wreath, done every year on May 12, International Nurses’ Day, after fellow RN Terry McLaughlin tracked down the names and the overall number of nurses killed.
‘As long as at least one person is there to recite the victims’ names every year, then they won’t be forgotten.’
He alerted NZNO via what was then its Canterbury regional council (now, local organising group), of which Randle was a member.
“So we made a commitment, NZNO regional council, that we would commemorate them on International Nurses’ Day every year, so that’s what we’ve done.”
Randle said people were astonished when they found out so many nurses, almost a third of the toll, lost their lives that day.
McLaughlin said it was a “privilege” to meet McKenna. While it was heartening to see more numbers this year, the nurses would never be forgotten regardless.
“At the end of the day, numbers attending aren’t that important. As long as at least one person is there to recite the victims’ names every year, then they won’t be forgotten.”
Every year they place the wreath under the name of a different nurse/group of nurses, and the event has run for nine years. This year, Randle read a prayer for the nurses written by hospital chaplain and RN, Angela McCormick.
Altogether the 53 nurses came from eight countries — 16 from China, 13 from Japan, 11 from the Philippines, six from Thailand, four from New Zealand and one each from Canada, Ireland and Taiwan.
Randle has been a nurse for 52 years and an NZNO delegate for 42.
* This article was amended on May 20 to add that Eoin McKenna was a nurse manager at Christchurch Hospital.