The Yorkshire Society of New Zealand celebrate Yorkshire Day

As reported by The Press, Yorkshire Day is celebrated each year on August 1 with this year’s ceremony being held in York - set to feature a gathering of mayors from across the region, who will be joined virtually by a group of Yorkshire lovers based on the other side of the globe!

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The Yorkshire Society of New Zealand was formed by expats Sylvia and Ron Bird, who moved from York to Auckland in 1969 - 55 years ago - but have still maintained their connection to their home county.

Sylvia was born in Goole and brought up in Barlby whereas Ron was born in Pocklington but raised in York with the couple meeting through their work at Armstrong Patents.

Ron said: “I first came to New Zealand when I was an Engineer officer in the Merchant Navy. Having come ashore in 1969, I was offered a position with an engineering company here New Zealand. So it was that we (Sylvia and their two children) arrived in Auckland in the North Island.”

According to Ron, he found out about Yorkshire day through his involvement in the World Scout Jamboree in 2007 where he discovered a number of fellow Yorkshiremen helping out at the event. The centre he was based at closed for the day on August 1st with Yorkshire flags ‘appearing’ and meals taking on a British theme.

Some of the Yorkshire Society of New Zealand's celebrations (Image: Provided)

Following on from the event that day, the pair were both hooked – soon finding many other expats from the region in Auckland, some of which were even long lost schoolmates, who wanted to celebrate the event yearly.

He continued: “Sylvia and I formed a committee which ended up in forming the Yorkshire Society of New Zealand whose primary function was to mark Yorkshire Day and to supply Yorkshire items from the Yorkshire Ridings Society in England.”

The biggest event the pair have hosted was their August function where a whopping 110 people until Covid came along, forcing the NZ Government to place bans on gatherings. 

A screenshot from the Yorkshire Day Zoom Call

Whilst Sylvia and Ron have been back to York multiple times since their move, they are now no longer able to travel, due to being in their 80s – instead electing to bring the county to their new homeland instead and spread their traditions the world over.

The group celebrated this year's Yorkshire Day with a morning Teams call to York's mayor with representatives from Auckland City Council and Waikato Regional Council calling in to share their culture with one another. 

Councillors shared their experiences of visiting each other's countries with both nations joked around with one another with the consort to the Lord Mayor jokingly saying: "You go all the way to New Zealand, travel around the world, and it all looks like the Yorkshire Dales."

This was ahead of a jam packed day for the civic party where they planned to dine with mayors across the region before a church service at York Minster and a lunch with musicians at the Salvation Army.