According to the pioneers of new Zealand Chinese, time flies by, but good memories will last forever.
I remember when the New Zealand sailing team Black Magic competed in the America's Cup in San Diego in 1995, I was still at the ASB bank counter.
At that time, I had just arrived in New Zealand for 4 years and basically didn't know anything about this sport, but I felt that the whole country was excited up and down. The media, my Kiwi colleagues, my UK landlord were talking about America's Cup, America's Cup, and Peter Blake, the leader of the New Zealand team at the time.
At that time, although the New Zealand Black Magic team had "shown its sharp edges" in the last Copa America, there was no money and no financial sponsors, even if there were big sponsors like Emirate who were rich and powerful now.
So the whole of New Zealand launched a campaign to support the Magic Black team. What is it? It's about encouraging people to spend 2.5 knives to buy a pair of red socks from The Warehouse, and Then The Warehouse donates the money from selling the socks to the Black Magic team.
The Warehouse also became famous because of this initiative and became the best brand promotion campaign.
The ASB bank where I worked also mobilized employees to buy red socks, and I certainly bought them, even though I didn't quite understand what the Copa America meant to New Zealand.
That year, New Zealand won! It was also the first time that the Copa America was won. New Zealand was boiling with excitement and held a grand celebration on Queen Street to welcome the hero back in triumph, and standing on the float was our hero Peter Blake.
My friend Hu Ming recalled, "That year I wore red socks, waved a small paper flag with red socks, and with my young daughter, stood in the welcoming crowd on Queen Street, shouting love you at Peter Blake on the float," which is the memory of our generation of immigrants.
Peter Blake thus entered my early immigration career.
Going back, why did you buy red socks at the time? There is also a small allusion here.
The Red Sox were supposed to be a Christmas present from Peter Blake's wife, Pippa, at Christmas in 1994. During the following may 1995 event, Mrs. Pippa wore Peter Blake to wear every match, saying that red socks represented good luck.
They were temporarily living in an apartment in San Diego, the city of the America's Cup, without a washing machine, and Pippa had to wash his socks by hand every night, and the next day peter Blake put them on and set off on the journey.
Luckily, whenever Peter Blake put on his red socks, the day was really won. Only once did he injure his foot and couldn't wear red socks, and that event was lost, the only one in the entire Copa America.
You say coincidence or not, you say believe it or not.
Later, the story of the red socks spread from the front battlefield back to the rear of New Zealand, and there was a nationwide campaign to buy red socks to support Black Magic. From then-Prime Minister Jim Bolger, governors, ministers, bus drivers, butcher shop owners, and the little clerk at my station counter, they all bought enthusiastically.
Another 4 years later, in 2000, our hero Peter Blake once again won an America's Cup for New Zealand, and the confidence and pride of the New Zealand people were even more explosive.
用当时的活来说，It gave us the sense of identity！It gave us the sense of success！It gave us the sense of achievement！
People were immersed in the joy of victory for a long time, until december 5, 2001, the bad news that Peter Blake had been shot by pirates in the Amazon River shocked the whole country.
At that time, Peter Blake was no longer at the helm of the New Zealand team, and he had a greater mission, which was to serve as an environmental ambassador for the United Nations, working on environmental research and conservation in the Amazon region, and he was also New Zealand's first representative and envoy on the international stage.
As his working ship sailed late into the Brazilian river basin, seven or eight masked pirates jumped on his boat and robbed him. One of the pirates held a gun to the back of the head of one of the ship's employees, and Peter Blake, out of instinctive protection of the employees, came out of the cabin with a rifle and shot at the pirates, and the employees survived.
Who knew that Peter's rifle in his hand malfunctioned and did not work, while he was shot from behind by pirates. In this way, our Copa America hero killed brazilian pirates on the spot, when he was only 53 years old.
When the bad news came, the young me was as angry as all New Zealanders, and that's when I started reading a lot about Peter Blake and learning more about the Copa America.
I remember a visit to Peter Blake's wife, Pippa, from Woman's Weekly, who said 1995 was a tough year, mostly without money.
The original financier decided not to sponsor the New Zealand team, and the fleet needed to undergo drastic reforms, build first-class ships and form a first-class team of sailors.
To this end, Peter Blake mortgaged his house to the bank, which is why the Red Sox donation campaign was later launched.
The new captain, Russell Coutts, once expressed his determination on behalf of the crew to boss Peter Blake at a meeting, "You give us a boat that is equal and we will win." You gave us a ship, and in equal return we must win.
Peter Blake is arguably New Zealand's most famous sailing athlete, and in addition to leading the New Zealand sailing team to win the Copa America twice, he is also the holder of the world's non-stop sailing record for circumnavigation of the globe, which no one has ever broken. He has been awarded the Medal in both the United Kingdom and New Zealand for his outstanding achievements and contributions in the field of navigation. A year after his death (2002), he was posthumously awarded the Highest Olympic Medal of Honor.
About two weeks after his death, on 23 December 2001, 30,000 New Zealanders attended his memorial service at Auckland Domain, including then-Prime Minister Helen Clark and, of course, Brazil's ambassador to New Zealand.
Helen Clark called Peter Blake "National Hero" and "Living Legend", and in her eulogy, she said that our little country was so shocked and sad, Peter Blake was an immortal legend, as a brilliant navigator, he brought glory and honor to New Zealand, and the loss of his death to New Zealand is immeasurable...
Yes, I couldn't let go for quite some time, always thinking that it was too unworthy for him to go, those hateful pirates, when all they grabbed was a motor and a few crew watches! The pirates were later captured by the Brazilian government and sentenced to an average of 32 years in prison, including 36 years for the pirates who fired the fatal shot at Peter Blake.
Peter Blake is buried in the backyard of a church in a seaside town in the south of England where he met his wife Pippa, where they lived and raised a pair of children (Peter Blake was born in Auckland, Pippa was born in England).
His cemetery in England is piled with flowers, and one of the elegant bouquets of green leaves comes from his beloved wife and a pair of children, written To our incredible hero, husband and father — Pippa, James, Sarah-Jane
His tombstone is inscribed with a famous poem "Sea-Fever":
I must down to the sea again
to the lonely sea and sky
and all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by....".
Today, when the whole country celebrates our victory again, I inexplicably think of Peter Blake.
In fact, as I typed the words, the TV was playing stories and images about him. They say Sir Peter Blake is the one that New Zealanders think of every time the Copa America is held. Not only because of his superb seafaring skills and abilities, but also because of his kindness, humility and loyalty. It can be said that without him, there would be no glorious achievements in the later New Zealand Copa America.
The glory he once brought to this country, his immortal legend, his courage, his spirit, will always be remembered.
His spirit continues to be passed on, and in 2004, his family established the Sir Peter Blake Non-Profit Trust and established the Blake Prize, which annually recognises leaders who contribute to New Zealand's sustainable development. For example, Peter Jackson, director of the "Hobbit" film, christopher Luxon, former CEO of Air New Zealand, and Tim O'Connor, principal of Auckland Grammar School, have all won this award.
Peter Blake's legend continues...
Red socks, red socks, it's an auspicious thing for many of us, from our Peter Blake wearing it to win the Copa America, to my friend Dan Yan wearing it to IELTS and successfully immigrating to New Zealand. It just didn't occur to me that the Red Socks would later become a sign of remembrance of Peter Blake.
By the way, Red Socks continue to sell at The Warehouse today, but they've gone from 2.5 knives in 1995 to 5 knives today, and they have a name or brand, which is BLAKE.
Maybe, after 26 years, I should go buy another pair.
The past is not like smoke.
(The author of this article is Wang Lili, chairman of New Zealand Chinese Pioneer Media, and the picture shows the author wearing a New Zealand team T-shirt to watch the Copa America).
(Original title: Every time the Copa America, New Zealanders think of this person... ）