Tragedy
commemorated on Oamaru plaque
Continuing from my previous blog, Oamaru is a
rewarding place to photograph. The small north Otago city is identified by
neatly preserved historic buildings. It is known as ``Whitestone City’’ owing
to the limestone building materials quarried in nearby hills. More recently,
Oamaru has become the ``Steampunk’’ capital. And not so far away is a beach
strewn with the famed Moeraki Boulders.
A plaque beside the railway near the Oamaru Botanic
Gardens has frequently caught my attention. It commemorates an 11-year-old
girl, Norma Anne Kearns, who was killed by a southbound express train while
trying to save her dog. The tragedy happened on 22 December 1950.
The
plaque was erected by the Animal Lovers and Protection Society.
In an effort to find out more, I posted a photo of the
plaque on New Zealand Railway Geography Facebook
page. John Clark kindly responded with a link to a story in the Oamaru Mail on 23 December. Apparently, Norma
Kearns had just arrived in Oamaru from Invercargill for a holiday with a family
friend, Mrs E. S. Miller of 15 Hull Street. . She was accompanied by her
parents. Norma took her family’s dog for a run about 4 p.m. At the Severn
Street railway crossing, the dog sat in the middle of the railway track.
Unaware of the approaching train, Norma went to remove her dog from the railway
line. She saved her dog but not herself. The locomotive struck Norma throwing
her clear of the railway. Doctors were quickly on the scene but Norma’s
injuries were fatal. She died within a few minutes. In the meantime her mother
was worried when her daughter did not return for tea. It was 8.30 p.m. when a
neighbour advised Mrs Kearns of the tragedy. Norma’s father identified his
deceased daughter and, next morning, attended an inquest.
I have always enjoyed discovering railway details.
Some, as with this plaque, can be disturbingly poignant.
Moeraki Boulders south of Oamaru
Oamaru, the Steampunk city
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