|
The Press
July 22, 2002
Book's award adds fuel to crèche case inquiry
The triumph of A City
Possessed in the Montana New Zealand Book Awards adds fuel to calls for a
Royal Commission of inquiry into the Christchurch Civic Crèche child abuse
case. So says Dunedin
author Lynley Hood, whose 600-page account of the controversial case won the
premier literary award at the weekend.
A City Possessed headed both the Montana non-fiction
and history categories, worth a total of $15,000.
"When the book first came out I remember a journalist saying to me that
it had a slow-burning fuse," Hood said. "I guess the wins have made
the fuse burn shorter and brighter. "The issue is going to have to be
addressed because it's not going away and I hope this just helps to focus the
minds of the politicians."
Hood spent seven years researching and writing the book, which claims there
were flaws in the investigative and interviewing methods used to convict crèche
worker Peter Ellis in 1993.
She was affronted that the concerns raised in her book continued to be
ignored by the Government.
"Some people say `well, they'll never do anything because it's too big,
because the ripples are spread so wide and so many careers and reputations
are on the line.' "But I think if South Africa can deal with
apartheid and move on without civil war breaking out, surely we can clean up
the mess created by the crèche case."
Hood has joined Ellis supporters to call for a Royal Commission of inquiry
into the case.
The convener of the judging panel, Witi Ihimaera, said A City Possessed was an extraordinary book which could not be
ignored. "With great tenacity, Hood leads us to an understanding of how
the events in Christchurch
could have occurred. "(Her) courage in pursuing the book's publication
has given us a narrative that, for all its controversy, makes it a stand-out
not just in this year but in any year," Ihimaera said.
A City Possessed was also a clear
winner of the coveted Reader's Choice Award.
|
