Kiwis share sorrow at candlelit vigil

By RICHARD BOOCK

It might be half a world away but the spirit of New York burned bright in Auckland's Aotea Square last night.

About 1000 people gathered at a candlelit vigil to remember the victims of the terrorist tragedy, and to share the horror and shock felt at the loss of so many lives.

They came from all parts of town, in some cases out of town - and it seemed everyone had a story.

Like the Kiwi bloke whose son lived in an apartment across the road from the ill-fated World Trade Center towers, and was lucky to escape with his life.

Or the Auckland woman whose daughter had intended to climb the tower on the morning of the disaster, but postponed the visit at the last minute because her friend had become unwell.

There were people who had nothing to do with the Big Apple but simply wanted to pay their respects, and there were people like Victor Solomon - a New Yorker who came to New Zealand 18 months ago.

"It's very humbling to see so many Kiwis turning out," he said, the star-spangled banner rippling gently in the breeze. "You might have thought that New Zealanders were so insulated that this could pass them by - but it hasn't.

"The underlying message has been, 'Hey, we're all sharing this', which is very comforting.

"It's great that people understand, that they have so much empathy."

He had such a twang you half expected him to come out with, 'We'll moider de bums ... ' but, for Mr Solomon and most others in Aotea Square last night, there was no talk of violence or revenge - just tolerance.

"New York is a great city and it'll mend," he said. "It's a huge metropolis, but when something major happens, all the little neighbourhoods come together and it's very close."

Even the followers of the Chinese meditation discipline Falun Gong - persecuted by their Government for their beliefs - were there, preaching a message of benevolence, compassion and tolerance.

Organised at 4 pm yesterday and staged at 8 pm, the vigil included a waiata from Ngati Whatua's Rocky Hawke, and addresses from Auckland University of Technology head Dr John Hinchcliff and Auckland Mayor Christine Fletcher.

* The United Fire Brigades Association of New Zealand has opened a disaster relief fund to support the hundreds of families of emergency service personnel who were killed in the tragedy.

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