On August 29th, 2021 Dunedin lost one of her true icons, Joan Butcher.

Dunedinites kept her safe on her nightly adventures and in a way, she kept her people safe too. 

People come and go from our great city, whether it be to move onto another location or it's just to explore the world. But Joan was alway a constant, ready to welcome you home with a smile and a song. The rest of the world has fancy celebrities, and Dunedin had Joan and that's what makes the culture of this city great.

When Christchurch lost their Birdman, they remembered him by placing a plaque where he loved most, the Square. I think it is only fitting that the DCC place a memorial of Joan in our city so she can continue to be apart of Dunedin's street life and more importantly that we don't forget her. One day should someone look at the plaque and ask, who is that? We can say, that's Joan Butcher. She was a daughter of Dunedin and a guardian of our streets.

I hope that it could also serve as an inspiration to all of us to be kinder to those less fortunate than ourselves.

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