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A street synonymous with a student party was extremely organized by those who honored one of their own.
Sophia Crestani, 19, died in a pile of stairs during a party attended by hundreds of revelers at a Dundas St apartment known as The Manor on October 5 of last year.
Hamish McNeilly / Stuff
Beer cans, boxes and other garbage were collected.
In July, her Wellington parents launched The Sophia Charter, which included agencies working on a variety of measures, including cracking down on big parties and reducing litter in the area.
Crestani’s family called for a massive cleanup of the student quarter after his death, and that was repeated again Friday at noon.
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Hundreds of students, armed with rubber gloves, brooms and garbage bags, moved into the student neighborhood.
RUBY MACANDREW / STUFF / The Wellingtonian
Sophia Crestani, 19, died in a pile of stairs during a party attended by hundreds of revelers.
Crestani’s childhood friend Emily Jenner, 20, said the cleanup, which focused on the notorious Castle St student hotspot, was about “putting the letter into action.”
” For me, Sophia’s Letter is about remembering Sophia, acknowledging how devastating it is to have lost her, but also wanting to make a change … so that the same thing doesn’t happen to a student, a family, or a community. ”
He thanked Crestani’s parents, Bede Crestani and Elspeth McMillan, who joined the cleanup via a live video link.
Hamish McNeilly / Stuff
Megan Prentice, left, and Emily Jenner address students in a cleanup on Castle St, North Dunedin.
Megan Prentice, a close friend of Crestani, said she loved seeing the students join forces and “bring all the love for Sophia.”
It was also nice to do something positive for his parents, who had been “shocked” by the state of the student neighborhood when they visited him.
At the launch of the letter, Bede Crestani said: “We did not want his death to be in vain, it was a tragic accident, and we thought we had to get something positive.”
Hamish McNeilly / Stuff
Students slam a door into a container.
Students could be seen tossing a wide variety of items, including a wooden door, a sofa, several mattresses, and even a thinner bar made from a box.
Froiday’s event was supported by UniCrew Volunteers and the Otago University Student Association (OUSA).
OUSA President Jack Manning said the event was a reminder that Dunedin had a vibrant student culture.
“And we have to protect it, and we have to make sure that it improves and that we leave a safer and more vibrant place for the next generation of students.”
