Love, Laughter, Loss … and Lindauer. Letters come to life at Letters Out Loud

When an event opens with a welcome to 'all the history and heritage buffs', I know I am right where I should be. 

While there were definitely those in the audience with more knowledge than me of the particular times and events discussed at WORD Christchurch's Letters Out Loud event last night - some viewers had possibly even shared some similar life experiences! - this was an evening which made history accessible for everyone, through the words of those who saw it happen.  A panel of readers brought to life 150 years' worth of letters from the Papers Past, opens a new window archives, giving glimpses into the writers' different personalities and highlighting humour and subtlety it would be easy to miss on the written page. 

No matter how much any of us knew previously about settler life in early Canterbury, mid-century university orientations, or the events and actions which eventually led to the decriminalization of homosexuality in New Zealand, the entire audience was kept completely engrossed by the panel of readers. The 70-minute programme absolutely flew by, and despite my best efforts, there were too many beautiful turns of phrase throughout the evening to be able to catch them all or do them justice here. With that in mind I have had to be content with discussing 'the vibe' and generalities of the evening here, but I will be putting a reminder in my diary to make some time to go and do a little digging online and in-person into the letters, communications, and lives of people in the past.

With photographs, paintings, and other taonga from the Alexander Turnbull Library, opens a new window and Macmillan Brown Library - Te Puna Rakahau o Macmillan Brown, opens a new window to provide extra context, we journeyed 'everywhere and everywhen' (Keri Hulme) through Aotearoa New Zealand's history without even leaving our seats. We visited with royalty and with commoners, heard personal stories both from unknown New Zealanders and those who made a name for themselves in the arts, science, or other industries, and learnt how our country was seen by Kiwis travelling abroad, and by recent arrivals. The topics of the letters were just as varied, with complaints about bad art and advice on how to become a new poet, along with anything and everything in between!

The evening was hosted by Jo Randerson, opens a new window ONZM, who managed the transitions between speakers, topics, and visual backgrounds seamlessly. Beginning with a well-chosen Katherine Mansfield quote and a brief history of the postal service, Jo then introduced us to the role that letters have played in society, and to the general shape of the evening. They introduced each reader by placing their letter in a concrete time and place, and I found their descriptions of the accompanying visuals very valuable in helping me better understand the events that we were hearing about. Jo led and read the emotions of the audience throughout the evening, and the shift between light and heavy topics - which could have been incredibly awkward - was done with ease and grace.

With fifteen letters presented over the evening, this is just a fraction of the moments which stuck with me:

Gavin Bishop, opens a new window ONZM (Tainui, Ngāti Awa) shared a first-hand survivor, opens a new window account of the sinking of the Marquette by a German torpedo early in WWI, with the loss of many New Zealand lives, including New Zealand nurses and hospital staff at the on-board hospital. Although this was clearly a disaster, the letter highlighted the courage of many involved, as they tried to help themselves and others - "Brave New Zealand. Its women and men played the game" (Major Hugh Ackland).  This was a particularly heavy story, and Gavin shared the letter recounting it respectfully, and with care.

Hannah Wheeler, opens a new window highlighted how letters in the past were used to share both highs and lows, and mundane and unexpected aspects of daily life. In particular, her reading of a 19th century Canterbury settler's letter home to her family in England was a bit of an emotional rollercoaster. I didn't know if I should be laughing or sombre from one minute to the next as she shared experiences along the lines of 'we're so much better off here financially ... as there's nothing to buy...', and 'unfortunately the baby is no longer with us ... but he's in a better place, because "I would hate to see anyone I love [...] out here" (Louisa George Rose). ... Again, not all of these were said in those exact words... 

Ariana Tikao, opens a new window (Kāi Tahu) embodied the spirit of Anihera Reina/Rema as she complained about the quality of a portrait by painter Gottfried Lindauer, opens a new window. Hearing the 1885 letter first in te reo Māori and then in English, one could be tempted to this this was simply an early case of someone 'wanting to talk to the manager', but if you were asked to pay for a portrait that you then weren't asked to sit for and if then you were shown a picture of yourself that neither you nor anyone else could recognise, I think you'd feel justified in complaining.

Josiah Morgan, opens a new window (he/him, Kāi Tahu/Ngāti Maniapoto) got some great, character-filled passages, including one of the audience faves of the night. Speaking as Edward, Prince of Wales - the one known as David, who would go on to become King Edward VIII - we heard him describing to his beloved the trials and tribulations of royal engagements, and official overseas travel, specifically his visit to 1920 New Zealand. Between boring hosts who speak nothing but "hot air", substandard facilities and entertainments ("so-called cathedrals" and "concerts even worse than the two last night!"), and drunk people being one of the most memorable parts of the trip, is it any surprise he spoke about "wanting to chuck it in and spend time with you"?  I wonder if he knew, when he wrote of the royal lifestyle "I know I'll not last long", just how equally right, and also wrong, he would be? That he would, indeed, go on to abdicate the throne for the sake of his beloved ... but that it would be for his future beloved Wallis Simpson, and not Mrs Freda Dudley Ward, the recipient of these letters.

Elisabeth Easther, opens a new window channelled the bright and effervescent voice of two young women, out by themselves the world - well-known painter Frances Hodgkins, opens a new window who was busy exploring London, and a young Beatrice Hill (who would go on to become renowned astronomer Beatrice Tinsley) who was finding her way around university life, and had discovered letter-writing was an effective way to stave off boredom in a lecture.

Barbara Brookes, opens a new window MNZM FRSNZ delivered a letter written to Venn Young, the National MP who tried to legalise homosexuality in 1974. This allowed people around the country to think about how homosexuality could potentially impact their own family, and although she was "pleased to say" that her two sons were both heterosexual, it would be "sadness, not disgust" that she felt towards them, and so she thanked Young for supporting the law change, and to not be too discouraged about its result (Dorothy McLean).

This was a thoroughly enjoyable evening of wandering through other people's memories, and I am so pleased I went. The way we communicate with family, friends, and acquaintances has changed so much since the turn of the 21st century when Keri Hulme wrote a letter giving advice on how to become a storyteller, and with so many new ways of keeping in touch, I'm not sure that our emails and txt messages are serving exactly the same purpose now as they did then. 

However, if someone 150 years in the future decides that they want to look back at the txt messages, DM's, and emails from 2026 to get a glimpse into life as we live it now, then I hope that our emojis, internet slang, and constant stream of cute animal videos will provide them with just as much enjoyment as I got from looking back at the letters from 150 years in the past. 

WORD Christchurch Festival 2026

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