Personal Stories

Experiences from the CTV Building

Stella Cheersmith

A photograph of a flower laid on a painted chair in the '185 Empty Chairs' memorial installation.

Credit: Paul Corliss. Source: https://quakestudies.canterbury.ac.nz/store/object/201760

The collapse of the CTV building was a devastating event that was felt worldwide. In the aftermath, stories appeared from survivors, friends, first responders, family members, and those trying to piece together what had happened inside the building. Heartfelt obituaries, personal accounts of the collapse, and tales of incredible rescues were shared by people connected to the tragedy, many of whom had their stories published in the newspapers. Below are some of the experiences of these people; whether they were inside the building, witnessed its collapse, involved with the rescue efforts, or closely connected to those who died.

Resources:

  • Christchurch Press 23 February 2011: Section O, Page 5 | "'Incredibly brave rescuers' at CTV building praised." - This brief article includes Pip Ranby’s account of the CTV collapse. Ranby was on the top floor of the building when the earthquake struck and was helped from the rubble by people on the street who came to her aid.
  • The Star 24 February 2011 (Pages 2, 3, 5, 6, & 9) - This edition of The Star contains several articles related to the CTV building and recounting first-hand experiences of the collapse.
    • Page 2-3: “Hopes flare and fade in the shattered city.” - Provides an account of the earthquake’s aftermath and touches on the CTV building, which has been described as “100 per cent unsurvivable,” with rescue efforts eventually moved elsewhere.
    • Page 5: “Death toll climbs.” - This page contains a number of biographies for people confirmed dead in the earthquake, including seven people killed in the CTV collapse.
    • Page 6: “Anger as CTV rescue bid ends.” - Contains statements and responses from family members of those trapped in the CTV building, following the decision that rescue attempts at the site would cease. The article also includes an account from Aaron Frazer, a man who assisted some of the rescue efforts.
    • Page 9: “Tales of Terror.” - This page has a number of first-hand accounts from people rescued after the earthquake, including two survivors recovered from the CTV building.
A tribute left on the cordon fence around the CTV Building site. The card shows a photograph of rescuers working on the CTV site, and reads, "Some of the guys who found you!! Thank you!"

Credit: Kaspar Middendorf. Source: https://quakestudies.canterbury.ac.nz/store/object/81735

  • Christchurch Press 24 February 2011: Section A, Page 1 | "TRAGEDY HITS HOME." - This story involves family members of Donna Manning, a producer at Canterbury Television who was killed when the CTV building collapsed. Her former husband and two children had waited in Latimer Square for any news of her rescue, but had to accept the fact that she would not be rescued when police announced that they were focusing rescue efforts elsewhere.
  • Christchurch Press 25 February 2011: Section A, Page 7 - This page of The Press contains a number of articles about the CTV collapse and those connected to it.
    • “Woman fled as CTV building fell.” - This article provides an overview of the situation at the CTV site, as well as a brief account of a woman climbing out of her window and down the rubble to safety.
    • “Theft adds to family’s anguish.” - Includes statements from family members of Donna Manning, a CTV presenter who was killed in the collapse. Manning’s house was looted the night of the earthquake, while her family waited at the CTV site for news.
    • “Rookie missing.” - Gives information about Rhys Brookbanks, a recent Journalism graduate and CTV reporter. Brookbanks had been working for Canterbury Television for less than a week when the earthquake hit and was one of the people believed to be trapped in the building.
    • “No news since line went dead.” - This is an interview with Kate Busson, who was on the phone with her sister, Deborah Roberts, when the CTV building collapsed. Roberts was the accounts manager for King’s Education, which occupied Level 4 floor of the CTV building.
    • “Language school boss ‘back when quake hit’.” - Covers the potential whereabouts of Brian Taylor, the managing director of King’s Education. Taylor had been in a meeting, but likely returned to the CTV building just before it collapsed. The article includes quotes from his wife, Prue Taylor.
  • Christchurch Press 2 March 2011: Section A, Page 14 | "Survivor walked out of 6th floor." - Contains an account of the CTV collapse from Pablo Godoy, Clinical Leader of Relationship Service, which occupied the sixth floor of the building. Godoy was going into a meeting when the earthquake struck and was able to climb out of the rubble to safety.
  • The Star 3 March 2011 (Page 1-3) | "Tots survive 5-floor plunge." - This story contains a detailed account of the CTV collapse from Kendyll Mitchell, who was on the top floor of the building with her two children. Mitchell had an appointment at Relationship Services for her three-year-old son, who had been experiencing “severe anxiety” following the earthquake in September 2010. Mitchell and her two children were rescued from the rubble and relocated to Timaru in the following weeks.
  • Christchurch Press 7 March 2011: Section A, Page 3 | "NZ couple farewell Thai 'daughter'." - This is an interview with Ken and Margaret Turner, a New Zealand couple who housed Haruthaya Luangsurapeesakul while she was studying English at Kings Education. Luangsurapeesakul was in the CTV building when it collapsed, and a Buddhist ceremony was held in Christchurch to lay her to rest, after which her ashes would be sent to her family in Thailand.
Messages are written on stones and laid in a circle with flowers at the CTV building site on the anniversary of the 22 February 2011 earthquake.

Credit: BeckerFraserPhotos. Source: https://quakestudies.canterbury.ac.nz/store/object/188445

  • Christchurch Press 16 March 2011: Section A, Page 8 | "'I knew it was serious. It really hurt in my heart'." - This article contains an interview with Lai Zhi Ping, the father of a King’s Education student who was in the CTV building when it collapsed. Lai Chang called her father to tell him of the earthquake, and later spoke to her husband over the phone as well. The two men arrived in Christchurch from China on February 27, but Lai Ching’s body was not recovered from the rubble of the CTV building.
  • Christchurch Press 23 March 2011: Section A, Page 21 | "Remembering a day I can never let go of." - This is a personal account of February 22 from Canterbury Television journalist Emily Cooper. Cooper was at work on the morning of the earthquake but was pursuing a story in Hagley Park when the CTV building collapsed. She describes returning to the building to find it gone, and some of her experiences in the days and weeks since the earthquake.
  • Christchurch Press 26 March 2011: Section A, Page 13 | "Survivor masters thesis." - Provides information on Quin Tang, a postgraduate student who was working at Relationship Services on the top floor of the CTV building when it collapsed. This article describes Tang’s experience in the building, as well as details of her study and successful submission of her Master’s thesis in the weeks following the earthquake.
  • Christchurch Press 10 September 2011: Section C, Page 2 | “DEATH IN THE CLASSROOM.” - This detailed, four-page article contains information on the students and staff of the Toyama College of Foreign Language (TCFL), part of King’s Education. The students had arrived on 19 February 2011 to begin a three-week course, and 12 were killed when the CTV building collapsed. The article includes first-hand accounts from those who were rescued, a photo on Page 3 of the students which identifies those who were killed in the collapse, and information from family members and staff of TCFL back in Japan. Continued on Page 3, Page 4, and Page 5.
    • Page 5 also includes an article titled “‘Pick-up sticks’ in the dark.” This details the rescue efforts of firefighter Paul Rodwell, who was part of the emergency response team and helped pull several TCFL students from the rubble.
  • Christchurch Press 11 February 2012: Section C, Page 2 | "The moment our city fell apart." - This page of The Press contains a number of first-hand experiences of the February 22 earthquake, including people who witnessed the CTV building collapse and people who were on the top floor when it fell. Continued on Page 3.
  • Christchurch Press 18 February 2012: Section C, Page 4 | "Miracle under rubble." - This three-page article tells the stories of those who were on the top floor of the CTV building when it collapsed. Relationship Services occupied this floor of the building, and all but one staff member survived. This article provides a detailed and emotional account of many of their experiences and the impact it had on their lives. Continued on Page 5 and Page 6.
The front page graphic for the Mainlander section of The Press. The photo shows a woman with a moko, smiling as she touches her forehead to a baby. The headline reads, "Drop Zone," accompanied by a blurb that reads, "Louise Tankersley and her baby Te Ao share a miracle. On February 22 last year they fell five storeys inside the collapsed CTV building and walked away.".

Credit: The Press, Fairfax Media New Zealand. Source: https://quakestudies.canterbury.ac.nz/store/object/214751

  • The Star 22 February 2012 (Pages 2, 3, 12, 14, 16, 17, 19, & 25) - This memorial edition of The Star contains a number of articles and first-hand account from those who were in the CTV building, and those who were impacted by its collapse:
    • Page 2-3: “A year on, George talks about the ‘hell hole’.” - An interview with George Orrock, a contractor who was working on the damaged church across from the CTV building when it collapsed. Orrock describes his experience of the earthquake and his efforts rescuing survivors from the rubble.
    • Page 12 & 14: “Survivor’s tales of hope and despair.” - Contains accounts from a number of survivors and family members reflecting on the earthquake. Included are Karen Bishop, Alec Cvetanov, Aaron Frazer, and Emily Cooper, who were all connected to the CTV building in some way.
    • Page 16-17: “Mother and kids saved by a reluctant hero.” - This article covers Kendyll Mitchell’s experience being on the top floor of the CTV building when it collapsed, as well as an account of her rescue from Evan McLellan, the man who pulled Mitchell and her two children from the wreckage.
    • Page 17: “Pair look to future, not the past.” - This is an interview with Anne Malcolm and Barry Grottis, who reflect on the past year and their plans for the future. Grottis rescued Malcolm from the top floor of the CTV building after it collapsed.
    • Page 19: “Appeal helps find rescuer...” “...but it took time for reality to sink in.” - This page contains two connected articles that detail the experience of Clemency Mutze, who was on the top floor of the CTV building and was trapped in the rubble when it collapsed. Mutze was rescued by Reilly Rasmussen and the two reunited about three weeks later.
    • Page 25: “Tearful teenagers prepare for last goodbye to mum.” - This article is about the family of Donna Manning, a producer at Canterbury Television who was killed in the earthquake. Her two children, Kent and Lizzy, talk about their experiences in the year since their mother’s death.
  • The Star 27 June 2012 (Pages 1, 2 & 3) - This edition of The Star contains several articles and first-hand accounts from witnesses of the CTV collapse:
    • “CTV collapse ‘like twin towers’.” - Witness Michael Williams describes the collapse of the CTV building, which he saw from his office window on Cashel Street.
    • “Building ‘was chasing me’.” - Canterbury Television receptionist Maryanne Jackson gives her account of the CTV collapse, which she survived by running out of the building from the reception area of the ground floor.
    • “Cracking, collapse.” - CTV Presentation Director Tom Hawker witnessed the building collapse from the road outside. He had bought lunch and was returning to work when the earthquake hit.
    • “Crawl to safety.” - Workman Leonard Fortune gives his account of the CTV collapse. He was weathercladding the western wall of the building when the earthquake struck, and narrowly avoided being hit by falling concrete.
A detailed newspaper infographic describing the timeline of events during the attempt to rescue Tamara Cvetanova from the CTV building. The page includes images of Alec Cvetanov and Tamara Cvetanova, as well as a diagram of the CTV rubble and where Tamara was thought to be trapped. At the top of the page, a headline reads "WAITING FOR RESCUE".

Credit: The Press, Fairfax Media New Zealand. Source: https://quakestudies.canterbury.ac.nz/store/object/224359

  • Christchurch Press 30 June 2012: Section C, Page 2 | "Husband questions rescue efforts." - This detailed three-page article covers the rescue situation at the CTV site, focusing on Dr Tamara Cvetanova, a student at King’s Education who survived the building’s initial collapse. Using her cell phone, Cvetanova managed to contact the Police and her husband several times. Through these calls, the emergency response team tried to pinpoint Cvetanova’s location as well as the other survivors they believed were near her, but their rescue efforts were unsuccessful.
    • The article contains a personal account from Alec Cvetanov, Tamara’s husband. Page 3 includes an infographic of the CTV site and highlights specific locations, as well as a timeline of Cvetanova’s final hours, based on the phone calls she made. Page 4 continues the text of the article, focusing on the rescue efforts of those at the site.
  • The Star 6 November 2013 (Page 2-3) | "Emi's memory lives on through friendship." - An interview with Lynda Burrowes, a woman who hosted one of the students from King’s Education. Emi Murakami arrived in Christchurch a few days before the earthquake, as part of the Toyama College programme. She was killed when the CTV building collapsed.
  • Christchurch Press 31 March 2014: Section A, Page 1 | “The call: ‘Daddy I won’t make it’.” - This article details everything known about a number of the people trapped in the rubble of the CTV building, including Tamara Cvetanova and the group she was with. It discusses who they tried to contact and some of the words exchanged over text messages and phone calls. The article is continued on Page 5 | "Trapped in the rubble." which goes into the rescue attempts for those trapped, most of which were ultimately unsuccessful.
  • CTV survivor recalls horror of Christchurch's fatal quake | RNZ - This video from Checkpoint contains an interview with Maryanne Jackson, the Canterbury Television receptionist who ran from the ground floor of the CTV building when it started to collapse. Maryanne recounts her experience of the earthquake on 22 February 2011, and reflects on the decade that has passed since she lost 16 colleagues.

RETURN TO HOME PAGE

General Searches:

To explore more stories related to CTV building collapse and the people involved, search the CEISMIC collection or get started with one of the links below.

  • For a general search of the collection that includes "CTV building" and "Stories", click here
  • To limit the search to stories from survivors of the CTV collapse, click here
  • To search the archive for articles related to Tamara Cvetanova, click here
  • For more information on the CTV Rescuers, click here
    • To search CEISMIC for images of the rescuers, click here
    • For a selection of stories from the rescuers, click here
...