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Julian "Joe" Bennett [1] (born 20 April 1957) is a writer and columnist living in Lyttelton, New Zealand.
Born in England, Bennett emigrated to New Zealand when he was 29. Before his writing career, he worked as an English teacher at Christ's College in Christchurch. During this time, Bennett wrote the words to the musical "Tramps", which was presented as a co-production between Christ's College and St Margaret's College in 1994, and garnered a review in The Press .
Bennett is a columnist for Christchurch's newspaper The Press and for New Zealand Gardener as well as being an author.
From the "Introduction" to Fun Run and Other Oxymorons he describes himself as follows:
"If anything holds these articles together it is that I like people but not in herds. I distrust all beliefs, most thought and anything ending in ism. Most opinion is emotion in fancy dress."
Bennett is fond of dogs and this is reflected in the titles and cover art of many of his books.
He has been in segments on the New Zealand comedy show Moon TV hosted by "That Guy" Leigh Hart in a segment called "Bookzone: A Show About Books".
In December 2011 he appeared in the media for refusing to evacuate his Lyttelton home as ordered by the Christchurch City Council due to fears of falling rocks if another earthquake was to occur. [2]
Christ's College, Canterbury is an independent Anglican secondary day and boarding school for boys, located in the city centre of Christchurch, New Zealand.
Lyttelton is a port town on the north shore of Lyttelton Harbour / Whakaraupō, at the northwestern end of Banks Peninsula and close to Christchurch, on the eastern coast of the South Island of New Zealand.
Philip Ralph Burdon is a former New Zealand politician and lawyer by profession. He was the co-founder of Meadow Mushrooms.
Cathedral Square, locally known simply as the Square, is the geographical centre and heart of Christchurch, New Zealand, where the city's Anglican cathedral, ChristChurch Cathedral is located. The square stands at the theoretical crossing of the city's two main orthogonal streets, Colombo Street and Worcester Street, though in practice both have been either blocked off or detoured around the square itself. The square was badly damaged in the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake.
Isaac Luck was a New Zealand architect. A professional builder, he arrived in Lyttelton on the Steadfast in 1851. He was the third chairman of the Christchurch Town Council. He was the brother-in-law of and in partnership with Benjamin Mountfort, and was the less well-known architectural partner for the design of the Canterbury Provincial Council Buildings.
Benjamin Woolfield Mountfort was an English emigrant to New Zealand, where he became one of the country's most prominent 19th-century architects. He was instrumental in shaping the city of Christchurch's unique architectural identity and culture, and was appointed the first official Provincial Architect of the developing province of Canterbury. Heavily influenced by the Anglo-Catholic philosophy behind early Victorian architecture, he is credited with importing the Gothic revival style to New Zealand. His Gothic designs constructed in both wood and stone in the province are considered unique to New Zealand. Today, he is considered the founding architect of the province of Canterbury.
Athol John "Joe" Earl is a former New Zealand rower who won two Olympic medals.
Francis Jollie was a politician in New Zealand.
Kevin Mark Ireland was a New Zealand poet, short story writer, novelist and librettist.
Christchurch Country was a parliamentary electorate in the Canterbury region of New Zealand from 1853 to 1860. It was thus one of the original 24 electorates used for the 1st New Zealand Parliament.
Edwin Blake was a 19th-century Liberal Party Member of Parliament in Canterbury, New Zealand.
Leonard Harper was a 19th-century Member of Parliament in Canterbury, New Zealand.
The Lyttelton Times Building, last known as Base Backpackers, in 56 Cathedral Square, Christchurch Central City, was the last headquarters of the Lyttelton Times before its demise in 1935 as the then-oldest newspaper in New Zealand. The building in Chicago School architectural style was registered with New Zealand Historic Places Trust as a Category I heritage item, with the registration number 7216. The building's last use was as a backpackers' hostel and a restaurant. It was demolished following the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake.
Governors Bay is a small town in Canterbury, New Zealand.
Joseph Brittan was a New Zealand surgeon, newspaper editor, and provincial councillor, was one of the dominant figures in early Christchurch. Born into a middle-class family in southern England, he followed his younger brother Guise Brittan to Christchurch, where he and his wife arrived in February 1852 with four children. Joseph Brittan soon got involved in the usual activities of early settlers and gained prominence in doing so. He had bought 100 acres on 10 July 1851 and took up 50 of this to the east of Christchurch that he converted to farmland. There, he built the family residence, and the suburb of Linwood was subsequently named after Brittan's farm and homestead of Linwood House.
Peter Jamieson Beaven was a New Zealand architect based in Christchurch, who lived for his last few months in Blenheim. He was a co-founder of New Zealand's first heritage lobby group, the Civic Trust.
Thomas Jackson, was an English Anglican clergyman appointed in 1850 as Bishop Designate of the newly founded settlement of Lyttelton in New Zealand. After disagreements with the New Zealand colonists, Jackson never took up the bishopric, and instead returned to England. He was an early advocate of animal welfare.
William Guise Brittan, mostly known as Guise Brittan and commonly referred to as W. G. Brittan, was the first Commissioner of Crown Lands for Canterbury in New Zealand.
Geoffrey Wayne Rice is a New Zealand historian. He is an emeritus professor of history at the University of Canterbury, Christchurch. He joined the staff in 1973, and served as head of the School of History from 2006 to 2011, before retiring in 2012.
Joanne Drayton is a New Zealand art historian, biographer and nonfiction writer.