Yorkshire Day Celebrations Reach New Zealand

In a delightful twist this year, Yorkshire Day has gone international, stretching all the way to New Zealand!

Every year, Yorkshire Day is celebrated on August 1. This year’s festivities took place in York, where mayors from the region gathered for the event, while getting joined virtually by Yorkshire enthusiasts from across the globe.

The Yorkshire Society of New Zealand, formed by expats Ron and Sylvia Bird, has been celebrating their home county from down under since they moved from York to Auckland in 1969, which was 55 years ago!

Sylvia hails from Goole, and Ron is originally from Pocklington. They crossed paths while working together at Armstrong Patents in York.

Ron shared, “I first came to New Zealand when I was an Engineer officer in the Merchant Navy. When I came ashore in 1969, I was offered a position with an engineering company here in New Zealand. That’s when Sylvia, our two kids, and I arrived in Auckland.”

Ron learned about Yorkshire Day during the World Scout Jamboree in 2007, where he met fellow Yorkshiremen. The center he was at closed for the day on August 1, and Yorkshire flags popped up everywhere, with meals featuring a British theme.

The couple got hooked after the event and soon discovered many other expats in Auckland, some even long-lost schoolmates, who wanted to celebrate Yorkshire Day each year.

<p“Sylvia and I formed a committee, which eventually turned into the Yorkshire Society of New Zealand, with the main goal of marking Yorkshire Day and providing Yorkshire items from the Yorkshire Ridings Society in England,” Ron continued.

The duo organized their biggest celebration yet, attracting a whopping 110 attendees. However, the pandemic put a hold on their gatherings as New Zealand implemented strict measures.

Sylvia and Ron have visited York multiple times since moving but have recently found it hard to travel due to their age, now in their 80s. Instead, they have decided to bring a taste of Yorkshire to their new home, sharing traditions worldwide.

This year, they celebrated Yorkshire Day with a morning Teams call to York’s mayor, joined by representatives from Auckland City Council and Waikato Regional Council. They exchanged cultural experiences, sharing laughs with one another.

During the call, the consort to the Lord Mayor joked, “You go all the way to New Zealand, travel around the world, and it all looks like the Yorkshire Dales.”

The civic party had a busy day ahead planned, which included dining with various mayors before attending a church service at York Minster and having lunch with musicians from the Salvation Army.