The community Ralph Hotere fell in love with and in which
made his home will have a chance to farewell the artist
before his Requiem Mass this morning.
Port Chalmers and Careys Bay residents are expected to line
the streets early today to pay their respects as Hotere's
funeral cortege passes through the port on the way to an 11am
service at St Joseph's Cathedral.
The 117 pupils of Port Chalmers School will be among those
lining the streets.
''We're very much a community school and Ralph was a big part
of the community here. He's one of us,'' school principal
Vicki Nicolson said yesterday.
''He's done a few paintings for the school in the past as
fundraisers and also held workshops here.
''He was a treasured part of our community and it's funny how
many of the kids have got stories about him.''
Hotere died in Dunedin last Sunday, aged 81. The cortege will
leave Careys Bay at 9.15am to travel to Dunedin. The Dunedin
City Council will be represented at the service by Mayor Dave
Cull and Dunedin Public Art Gallery director Cam McCracken.
The Requiem Mass is at 11am today at St Joseph's Cathedral.
Tomorrow, Hotere will be taken to the Matihetihe marae, at
his birthplace at Mitimiti, in Northland, for his tangi.
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