Dannevirke: Candles lit in remembrance

Donna Harrison lights a candle during the memorial service.

The Hub in Allardice Street was packed on Thursday night, for a remembrance service that brought both tears and smiles.

The Community Service of Remembrance has been held annually for five years and draws more people each year, brought together to remember loved ones who have passed away throughout the year.

The Rev Heather Flavell took the service, saying it was her first time at the Dannevirke service and she felt it an honour to be there.

"We are all here for many reasons," she said. "But most of us because someone we love has died, while others are here to offer their support and aroha.

"Although grief is a normal part of life's journey, there are times we feel that grief more keenly - such as special family times like Christmas."

Young soloist Tania MacKay brought many to tears with a rendition of The Rose, then those gathered heard a reading on behalf of the volunteers in the community, before the names of local people who had died in 2013 were read out, one at a time.

As each name was read out, family members and friends were invited to come forward and light a candle each, in memory of their loved one.

To a background of gentle music played by Brian MacKay, people quietly walked forward, each lighting a candle and placing it on a central table. People came forward alone, in pairs or in groups, often sharing a hug or a touch of a hand before filing back to their seats.

As the tables of unlit candles dwindled, the numbers of flames flickering on the central table grew, until by the end of the service more than 260 candles shone.

At supper after the service, Rev Flavell said she had done many such services before, as the pastor for Cranford Hospice, but this Dannevirke service counted as one of the best.

As those who had attended left to wend their way home, the 260 candles continued to shine, a bright pool of light in the now darkened hall.