A2 NEWS Thursday, August30, 2012 THE PRESS, Christchurch

■ MARITAL RIGHTS

» PRESS INFO Marchers back gay marriage B7 CLASSIFIED INDEX B7 CROSSWORDS Belle Mayston and Kyasha Robin- HOW MPS VOTED son are young and in love. B8 FAMILY NOTICES They have been living together B9 SHARE TABLES in for the past year How your MP voted in the Marriage B8 ENTERTAINMENT and one day, they say, they may (Definition of Marriage) want to get married. Amendment Bill: The couple, aged 20 and 21, FOR: 80 joined the march to Parliament (N); (L); » REGULARS yesterday in favour of Labour MP Chris Auchinvole (N); John Banks (A); ’s Definition of Mar- (N); (N); riage Amendment Bill, on which Jackie Blue (N); News A1-A10 MPs were voting last night. (G); (N); Cam Calder BusinessDay A11-A12 Their families and friends (N); David Carter (N); Charles Editorial/Letters A14 accepted their love, they said, so Chauvel (L); David Clark (L); David Perspective A15 they could see no reason why the Clendon (G); Jonathan Coleman (N); Weather/TV listings A16 Government shouldn’t as well. (N); Clayton Cosgrove World B1, B3, B5-B6 Mayston said the institution of (L); (L); Sport B13-B14 marriage was as important to gay (L); Lianne Dalziel (L); Racing PUNT LIFTOUT couples as it was to heterosexuals. (N); (G); Peter ‘‘Civil union sounds cold. Dunne (UF); (L); Kris ‘‘It sounds clinical. It sounds Faafoi (L); Darien Fenton (L); Te PANPA (Australasia & Pacific) Newspaper of the Year 2011, like sort of a business partner- Ururoa Flavell (MP); (N); daily newspapers 25,000 to 90,000 circulation. ship. Definitely marriage is more (G); (L); Canon NZ Newspaper of the Year 2012, 30,000-plus daily circulation. appealing – we’d be able to flaunt Paul Goldsmith (N); (N); it. It just strikes me as ridiculous (G); (N); that we [can’t marry]. (G); Hone Harawira (M); ‘‘I feel segregated.’’ Tau Henare (N); (L); Robinson said the tide Parekura Horomia (L); Gareth appeared to be turning as public Hughes (G); Paul Hutchison (N); support for the bill grew. She said (L); (N); Wellington, as ‘‘quite an accepting (N); (N); Annette Our story ‘‘Solid Energy suspends Spring Creek place’’, was the ideal stage for the King (L); Iain Lees-Galloway (L); work’’ attracted comment online yesterday. gay marriage revolution. Andrew Little (L); (G); About 1000 people marched Moana Mackey (L); ‘‘Surely it is about time the West Coast from Civic Square to Parliament (L); (L); economy tries to find another ‘jewel in the yesterday in support of the bill, (G); Murray McCully (N); Ian McKelvie crown’ other than the coalmining bearing rainbow flags and plac- (N); (L); industry. The environmental impact alone ards and chanting equality slo- (G); (N); David Parker of the coal industry does not make good gans. Among the crowd were (L); Rajen Prasad (L); Grant reading. Perhaps they should start Timothy Atkin, 22, and Adam Robertson (L); (G); collecting water; they get plenty of it and it Antao, 21, who have been together Jami-Lee Ross (N); (G); sells for more per litre than petrol.’’ – MAC for about three years, and would (MP); (L); like the chance to marry one day. Scott Simpson (N); ‘‘I’d like the ability to choose to (N); (L); Rino be able to get married,’’ Antao Tirikatene (L); (N); said. ‘‘We have sort of talked (G); (MP); about it. Having a civil union just (L); (N); isn’t the same.’’ (G); Louisa Wall (L); Atkin said marriage should be Kate Wilkinson (N); Maurice available to everybody. ‘‘It’s a big Williamson (N); (L) issue, when it shouldn’t be. It’s AGAINST: 40 important because there’s no real Shane Ardern (N); Kanwaljit Singh reason the law shouldn’t [change]. Bakshi (N); David Bennett (N); ‘‘The people who are opposed (N); to it . . . are really struggling to (N); (N); Christopher make a valid argument.’’ Finlayson (N); (N); John At Parliament, as Wall and Hayes (N); (N); Brendan other MPs spoke to the crowd, the Horan (NZF); Colin King (N); Melissa only opposition was a handful of Lee (N); Asenati Lole-Taylor (NZF); quiet Korean church ministers. Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga (N); Tim Wall said the turnout to sup- Macindoe (N); (NZF); port the bill had surprised her. Todd McClay (N); Mark Mitchell (N); ‘‘I am so inspired by the people (N); Damien O’Connor who have come out in support of (L); Simon O’Connor (N); Denis marriage equality . . . O’Rourke (NZF); ‘‘I’m humbled.’’ Fairfax NZ (NZF); Richard Prosser (NZF); Ross Robertson (L); Eric Roy (N); (N); Mike Sabin (N); Katrina Seeking reform: Supporters of MP Shanks (N); Su’a (L); Nick Louisa Wall’s marriage equality bill Smith (N); (NZF); NEWARRIVALS march from Wellington’s Civic Square (N); (N); to Parliament. Among marchers were (N); Andrew Williams Adam Antao, left, and Timothy Atkin. (NZF); (N); Jian for spring living Photo: FAIRFAX NZ Yang (N); Jonathan Young (N)

■ MOTHER MOURNED Grandmother’s fatal fall devastates family

One week ago Phil Preston was at stumbled over the rail and fell 6.7 his Singapore home the following the “height of happiness”. Now metres on to the marble floor day. he’s grieving for his mum and below. “[Phil] has gone from the fighting for his son after their Preston and his Vietnamese height of happiness in his life . . . horrific fall down stairs in his partner Chau rushed out of their and then for this to happen in an home in Vietnam. bedroom to find Ferne in a pool of instant, it’s taken him to the big- Preston had shouted his blood, and Carter struggling to gest low,” he said. mother Julie Ferne her trip and breathe. The family are now arranging she arrived at his home in Ho Chi Preston’s brother Sean said: “If Treasured for their mother’s body to be Minh City to welcome her sixth Carter had hit the floor by himself moment: Julie brought back to . grandchild into the world on he would have gone. I know Mum Ferne and new Carter has been moved from August 20. protected him on the way down.” grandson Carter the intensive care unit at Ho Chi Just four days later, Ferne, 68, Phil Preston picked his mum Preston. Minh Children’s Hospital to an formerly of Christchurch, lost her up in his arms, while Chau isolation room. footing while going down the cradled their baby. A neighbour Doctors told them that Ferne’s Phil’s arms, Sean Preson said. Ferne, a retired art tutor and stairs. She was carrying newborn flagged down a taxi and the family heart was not beating on arrival, The accident happened last primary school teacher, was liv- Carter when she lost her balance, headed for the hospital. which meant she probably died in Friday, and Sean travelled from ing in . Fairfax NZ

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