Former Edmonds staff sought for reunion

John Hoskin has led the Friends of the Edmonds Factory Garden in Ferry Road for 10 years.

A reunion of former workers at the Edmonds "Sure To Rise" factory in Ferry Road will be held next year - if they can be traced.

The chairman of the Friends of Edmonds Factory Garden, John Hoskin, says the reunion will be held on Saturday 17 February for former staff, families of former workers, and descendants of the founder’s family.

But he says the group is desperately looking for the names of workers.

"This is difficult because many of the workers were single women and most of them have now married."

" We have more than 300 names but most of them are of women when they were single," he says.

The day following the reunion the Friends’ annual garden party will be held in conjunction with the Festival of Flowers.

However, plenty of events will be held at the gardens before the reunion and more work will be carried out in the gardens.

The walls of one of the remaining glasshouses in the factory garden will be removed and rebuilt into an easterly wall. A clear roof erected for undercover events and picnic tables could be placed inside.

"Tracking down former workers is difficult because many of them were single women and most of them have now married. We have more than 300 names but most of them are of women when they were single." — Chairman of the Friends of Edmonds Factory Garden, John Hoskin.

Display cases with Edmonds factory memorabilia will be erected soon and the Friends’ archivist, Ron Hooker, has collected a variety of Edmonds’ history such as food labels, tins and cookbooks.

More lights have gone in around the gardens, one in the waterspout and others in the stream and under the pergola.

John Hoskin says the group is fundraising to get money to create a museum in the gardens. “We are also looking for sponsors at present.”

Friends not only raise funds to improve the nearly one- hectare garden but also care for the scented garden, the rose garden and hold working bees for general clean ups.

The gardens are always open but John says many Christchurch people have yet to discover them. It is a popular venue for weddings with 10 already booked for this year.

A new sign, incorporating the Sure To Rise logo, will be erected soon at the carpark entry and a new gate to the garden, again with the Edmonds logo, will be installed at the same time.