By Susan Sandys  February 23, 2012

As thousands stood silent in Hagley Park for two minutes yesterday, Kath Diver of Mt Somers wept in the arms of her friend.

The former Christchurch resident was at the home of Mt Somers farmer Kath Schikker, watching the earthquake commemoration service at Hagley Park on her living room television.
Mrs Schikker had cooked a hot lunch and pineapple muffins, while husband Robert had made a comforting cup of tea.
“The whole nightmare comes back again, you start to relive it again,” Ms Diver said following the two minutes’ silence as she continued to watch the service.
It has indeed been a nightmare for the single mother of three.
She was at work on the ground floor of Christchurch’s CPIT building in the central business district when the earthquake struck. A wall of plate glass fell in on her and forced her across the room. A person from the street pulled her out and carried her to safety. She worked there as a hairdressing tutor, and at the time her students were out at lunch.
She met them outside, and was bruised and terrified from her ordeal. Panic set in as the city continued to shake, cellphones did not work, and people yelled about gas leaks.
She began to scramble her way out of the city, leaving her wallet, bag and phone buried amongst debris at CPIT. She saw civilians urgently trying to save people under collapsed buildings, and saw one or two people deceased.
Ms Diver climbed over gridlocked traffic, helped an old lady across Moorhouse Avenue, lost a shoe, got a ride from a kind motorist, but jumped out after a slow 100 metres, realising she could get to her destination faster by foot.
A few kilometres and a couple of hours later she had made it to Beckenham, where her ex-husband picked her up and drove her to her Hoon Hay home, where she was reunited with her children.
Tim, now 14, Lucy, 12, and Jack, 11, had been rescued by their father from their three separate schools.
Ms Diver said it was then that hysteria set in, and she had to be slapped in order to come out of it. She managed to gather herself to throw some clothing and possessions into her car and drive herself and her children to the Mt Somers home of Mr and Mrs Schikker.
Mrs Schikker had had a phone call from Ms Diver’s sister, saying that Kath was on her way, giving some hint of what she had been through, saying she had seen dead people.
It had been news to Mrs Schikker that the city had been that badly hit. When her friend arrived on her doorstep later than night though, there was no doubting the trauma she had been through.
The family stayed with the Schikkers for a couple of weeks, before moving into a house in the Mt Somers town. The Divers have lived there since, and are happy with their new country life.
Yesterday’s service was a time to reflect, and a time to look forward to moving on.
On the good side she had tried new things in the last year she would never have thought of doing previously. She had undertaken farm work, and was now employed as a Methven veterinarian practice receptionist.
She happened to be in Tai Tapu when the December 23 aftershock hit, and that familiar terror returned.
“I think the saddest thing is it will affect you for the rest of your life, my nerves are more shattered now.”
Mr Schikker summed it up for his wife’s long-time friend.
“It’s like war. You never forget it, you just learn to live with it.”