Dannevirke: History of hospital wedding relived

Kathryn Jensen (left) of the Knox Church, with Ray Carter from Palmerston North. Mr Carter's parents made history at the old Dannevirke Hospital on May 19, 1924, when they became the first couple to be married in a hospital in New Zealand. Photo/Christine McKay

A former Dannevirke man was back in town last week to thank those who helped him connect to a piece of unique family and New Zealand history.

In May 19, 1924, history was made at Dannevirke Hospital with the first hospital wedding in New Zealand between Martin Carter of Kiritaki in Dannevirke and Janet Blake from Wanganui.

"My father and mother were married at the hospital, with my mother driven to Dannevirke by taxi for the wedding," Ray Carter said. "My father was seriously ill and not expected to live, but he survived for another four years."

Present at the historic wedding, conducted by the Reverend J Thomson Macky of the Knox Presbyterian Church, were Jim Blake, the bride's brother, Sister Haggit who was in charge of the ward Mr Carter was in, Mabel Brown, the matron of the hospital and Margaret Blake, the bride's mother.

"I spent my early years growing up with the Caswill kids at Kiritaki and attending Te Rehunga School," 86-year-old Mr Carter said. "I had a twin brother who died just 19 hours after we were born and my father died in Napier when I was only 5 months old."

Mr Carter's mother remarried in 1929 and in 1931, when he was just 3 years old, he and his mother were in Woolworths Napier when the devastating Hawke's Bay earthquake struck.

"I was separated from my mother and was only found 10 days later at the showgrounds in Palmerston North where a centre had been set up for victims from the earthquake," he said.

"After the earthquake my stepfather had taken my mother down to Palmerston North to be cared for by her brother James who lived very close to the showgrounds and my stepfather then returned to Napier to look for me. After a lot of searching he failed to find any information."

However James Blake suggested the pair go to the showgrounds in Palmerston North, where, after searching the rows of evacuees, they found young Ray in a tent, playing with a teddy bear.

"My stepfather went to the police and claimed me," he explained. "He was told I hadn't spoken and they had only one page in a file showing I was wearing blue shorts and a white shirt which had a footprint on the back when I was found in the quake rubble. Someone must have stepped on me during the earthquake."

Mr Carter said his mother had to be sedated because of the shock and refused to go back to Napier.

But it was while Mr Carter was relieving constable at the Woodville police 1962 that he finally found out the historic significance of his parents marriage.

"I had to serve two summons on a couple at Maharahara, south of Dannevirke and as I drove around and up a road without a sign post, I met people who told me the people I was looking for were in Dannevirke at a sale and wouldn't be back until after 1pm," he said. "I was invited in for lunch and during that lunch I told my hosts, a Mr and Mrs Jack Whibley, that I had an uncle next door at Kiritaki, Jim Blake. When Mrs Whibley realised I was Ray Carter, she told me she was the Sister Haggit, in charge of the ward where my father had been and it was her and the matron who were present when my parents married at the hospital. It wasn't until then that I realised how my parents wedding had made history."

Mr Carter thanked Kathryn Jensen of the Knox Church for the help she'd given him in making the connections surrounding his parents marriage.

"We still have all our records here at the church, but this is the first time someone has come back and told us what really happened. It's so cool," she said.