Newspaper Article 2014 – Chloroform last resort after quake

Chloroform last resort after quake

By CAROLYN VEEN

A book based on Napier during the 1930s has been launched in Australia by its author Rosamund Dallow, who was born and raised in Napier and now lives in Sydney.

Her book Broken Rhythms was written as a tribute to “the land and the times” that had shaped her life.

“I dedicated the book to my late mother, Moira Dallow, who was a highly-regarded and much-loved ballet teacher in Hawke’s Bay. My father, an Aussie, had just arrived in New Zealand when the (1931 Hawke’ Bay) quake occurred – you can hear his voice in the museum, describing how he worked  during that time, driving ambulances,” she said.

“From the cover showing the ruins of the city after the earthquake, to most of the story, it is set in Napier and the characters are based on well-known New Zealanders. The tinted photo on the front is of Hastings St taken a few minutes after the  earthquake on February 3 1931.”

Her book was packed with poignant imagery, including an excerpt describing the fire that immediately followed the quake.

“Beneath the wreckage, some of the victims, still conscious, moaned in pain and terror, begging for help, but time had run out.

“In despair and disbelief, the victims realised that their rescuers were no longer with them. The searing heat had forced them to retreat, using pieces of clothing, or handkerchiefs, to protect their faces, but some were badly scorched. The engorged, fast-moving monster was almost upon them all. The last pitiful cries from the rubble weakened and stopped as a handful of doctors and nurses on the scene reached out to the nearest victims, now beyond all hope of recovery, and held pads of chloroform to distorted faces. There was nothing else they could do.

“Weeping in rage and grief at their own impotence, they too were forced to run from the encroaching ferocity”.

Ms Dallow’s career had spanned many fields, including ballet, flamenco, teaching and acting.

“I taught English in the newly-independent East Timor, worked as a security guard and sung in the choir at the Sydney Olympics,”she said.

Dallow had been living in Sydney “for some years now” and is working on a sequel to her novel.

She was working on officially presenting the book in Napier.

Photo caption – Heartbreak: The book cover illustrates the devastation of Napier.

Photo caption – All about Napler: Author Rosamund Dallow.