On 15 Jan our Courtenay Pl neighbour Ben Hana, more commonly known as Blanket Man or Brother, passed away at Wellington Hospital.
In the days since an impromptu ‘shrine’ has appeared on the wall of the ANZ building where Ben was most commonly seen over the last few years. The shrine, like Ben, is destined to become controversial. Simultaneously creative and destructive, as it spreads over the faux-grecian façade of the bank questions and conflicts will arise as to whether it should be left alone, or washed clean. A fitting tribute, and one that would’ve no doubt amused the man himself.
It’s a sad day for Wellingtonian as the most famous vagrant has died the other day at the Wellington Regional Hospital of unknown causes.
music by Sione Mohenoa “thank you”
As reported in the NZ Herald and Stuff.
I remember seeing him asleep on the corner of Courtenay Place and Tory Street, bathed in sunshine, loin-cloth akimbo, home-made aluminium-can dope-pipe resting peacefully by his slumbering body, only a couple of weeks back. It seems weird that we won’t see him there again.
R.I.P.
Since this is a blog devoted to the city of Wellington and its sense of place I can’t imagine that we could not mention his death. He was a permanent fixture of the streets of Wellington and was a bit of the spirit that, for me at least (and clearly others), made this city the interesting place it is to be.
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