King's Education

The Third Floor.

Stella Cheersmith

King's Education was an ESL school (English as a Second Language) that was located on Level 4 of the CTV building at the time of its collapse. Of the 115 people killed in the CTV building, 80 were from King's Education. These victims made the earthquake an international tragedy, as the school housed students from several countries, including Japan, China, and the Philippines. Their class roll included 23 visiting students and 2 staff from the Toyama College of Foreign Language, who had just arrived to begin a three-week course.

Below are some of the relevant newspaper articles that report on those from King's Education who were killed, those who survived, and the families from around the world who came to remember their loved ones in the aftermath.

A photograph of a wreath left at the site of the CTV building by Hon. Minoru Kiuchi, the Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, Japan.

Credit: Paul Corliss. Source: https://quakestudies.canterbury.ac.nz/store/object/203423

Resources:

  • Christchurch Press 25 February 2011: Section A, Page 7 - This page contains several articles about the CTV building in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake, three of which provide information on the King’s Education school:
    • “Woman fled as CTV building fell.” - Gives an overview of the situation and rescue effort; details stories from survivors and reports on students and staff from King’s education still trapped in the rubble.
    • “No news since line went dead.” - Contains an interview with Kate Busson, whose sister, Deborah Roberts, was the accounts manager for King’s Education and was one of the missing persons in the collapsed building. Kate and Deborah were on the phone when the earthquake struck, and Kate attended a meeting with Police and families of people still missing from the CTV building.
    • “Language school boss ‘back when quake hit’.” - Gives details on Brian Taylor, managing director of King’s Education, who was believed to have returned to the CTV building just moments before the earthquake. The article contains statements from his wife, Prue Taylor, who said he had been in a meeting elsewhere beforehand, though his precise whereabouts at the time of the collapse were unknown.
  • Christchurch Press 11 March 2011: Section A, Page 5 | "Police release six more names." - An update on the identification of bodies found after the earthquake. Police released six more names of those who died, including one teacher and three students from King’s Education.
  • Christchurch Press 15 March 2011: Section A, Page 4 | Memorial promised." - This article reports on the memorial service that was held at the Aurora Centre to remember those from King’s Education who died. During the service, Mayor Bob Parker promised a permanent memorial to commemorate the international students and staff members from King’s Education who lost their lives.
  • Christchurch Press 2 April 2011: Section C, Page 15 | "A passionate athlete and a dedicated teacher." - The obituary for Brian Taylor, who was in the CTV building when it collapsed. Taylor was the Managing Director of King’s Education and had worked in a number of schools across Christchurch, as well as coaching cross country running.
  • Christchurch Press 31 August 2011: Section A, Page 5 | “Directors ‘front up’ to inquest over deaths.” - Reports on the inquest into some of the deaths of King’s Education students. Includes statements from the two directors of the language school, John Ryder and Graeme Dodd, who felt that while a “huge amount” had been done for the victims’ families, ultimately, Ryder and Dodd had let the families down.
  • 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). The College had begun sending students to King’s Education three years prior. The students of 2011 had arrived on 19 February to begin a three-week course, and 12 were killed in the earthquake. The article includes first-hand accounts from those who were rescued from the building, 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.
The front page graphic for the Mainlander section of The Press. The image shows a group of Japanese students from Toyama College of Foreign Languages, standing in the Christchurch Botanic Gardens. The main headline reads, "DEATH IN THE CLASSROOM," accompanied by the text, "These Japanese language students arrived in Christchurch on February 19. This photograph was taken on February 21 while on a trip exploring their host city. A day later, 12 were dead in the CTV building and two survivors had lost limbs."

Credit: The Press, Fairfax Media New Zealand. Source: https://quakestudies.canterbury.ac.nz/store/object/13866

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General Searches:

To find out more about the CTV building and King's Education School, search the CEISMIC collection or get started with one of the links below.

  • For a general search of the archive that includes "CTV building" and "King's Education" click here
  • To limit the search to Toyama College, click here
  • To explore resources related to Kings Education and memorials and services, click here
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