I thought you may be interested to know that
between 600 and 700 Canterbury descendents of early Scottish migrants
gathered at "Riccarton House", Deans Bush, Christchurch New Zealand on
the 25th of January 2009 for the unveiling and dedication of a plaque,
commemorating the 250th anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns and in
memory of early Scottish pioneers who settled in our
province "Canterbury".
This plaque may possibly be the first
dedicated to Burns in this anniversary year .
The toast to Burns was made by Dr.Ron
Macintyre Q.S.M. of the Canterbury Burns Club with "The Haggis and
Whisky" being distributed to all present.
The Deans Family of "Deans Bush" , early
settlers of Canterbury , named their home after their migratory
district, "Riccarton" in Ayrshire .
Their House, gardens and surrounding native
bush are preserved as a parkland for the people of Christchurch and
Province .
I have attached a couple of photos which
will give you an indication of the size of the cairn and the wording of
the plaque and also a copy of the programme.
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