Walk of remembrance: Anglican parish creates moving Mosque memorial

An Anglican Parish in Merivale took remembrance a step further following the Christchurch terror attacks. 

All Souls Merivale installed a poignant tribute to the 50 attack victims by putting a call out to community members immediately following the attacks, asking them to bring in any unwanted footwear.

These were then painted white and lined up in a row in front of the parish - a nod to the Islamic custom of removing shoes prior to entering mosques.

All Souls Vicar Megan Herles-Mooar said the tribute was intended to represent the 50 pairs of shoes left outside the mosques that would never be worn again.

"There's a vulnerability surrounding feet, and the position of prayer the victims would have been in when they were killed."

She said that the tribute came together in less than half a day due to the generosity of the public.

"They felt they needed to actually do something and recognize that these were people, just like you and I."

One widow from All Souls parish brought in a pair of her late husband's shoes to be included in the memorial, and other donations included children's footwear to commemorate the younger victims, and a pair of slippers donated by an elderly parishioner for the oldest victim, Haji-Daoud Nabi.

Vicar Herles-Mooar said that compassion and grief transcended the boundaries of religion.

City Council General Manager for Citizens and Community Mary Richardson says that any permanent memorial will "be considered in discussion with the Muslim community."

"However, at this point our focus is very much on the health and well-being of those affected, and supporting them through this difficult time."