We grabbed what little we could. And this included our coin-operated pony, which had somehow made it out of the old C1 Espresso building in one piece.

We already knew Wayne had his eye on our horse for an idea involving a mechanical kids’ ride, a great white hope and the steps of parliament. But we just couldn’t bear to let go of the pony, as it was one of the few tangible pieces of our past. So we set about finding him an even better substitute. Eventually, we came across a vintage American ride-on pony, which was lovingly made into his work The Saviour.

There have been many saviours ride into this town on their big white horses since the Canterbury earthquakes. All of them preaching hope and praising the locals for their resilience. They sit safely on their high horses as they pat our heads and ride by.

Wayne’s ‘saviour’ is yet to be exhibited. Sadly a major retrospective of his work was cancelled due to earthquake damage at the Gallery but I look forward to seeing this piece when the repairs are completed.

I just hope that there are no ‘do not touch’ signs around.