New Zealand terminates contract with ‘wizard’

After more than thirty years of loyal service, the city council forced the wizard of Christchurch, New Zealand, to step down. At eighty-eight years old, Ian Brackenbury Channel was a town celebrity and tourists from all over the world came to see him addressing the crowds in his black dress, long beard, shaggy hair, and hat pointed on his head.

This sorcerer was involved in all battles and blame politics or leading a fight to prevent”The city spirit may attackWhen the red phone booths had to be repainted blue. He was invited to cast spells to influence the outcome of major rugby matches or to perform a rain dance in Australia.

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«It is a difficult decision to terminate this contractSaid Lynn McClelland, MP in Christchurch City Council. “The Council is grateful to him for his precious and special contribution to the cultural life of our city, and he will forever be a part of our history.“.Lyn McClelland explained that magic no longer matches the image that the largest city in the South Island intends to promote, and that the new programs”It increasingly reflects our diverse societies and showcases a vibrant, diverse and modern city».

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Ian Brackenbury Chanel, a former British-born RAF pilot and University of Leeds graduate with two majors in psychology and sociology, arrived in Christchurch in 1974. When he began to take charge of public speaking, the city council demanded his arrest, but it became so popular that That 10 years later, when he threatened to leave after a spell that didn’t have the desired effect in rugby, the city council asked him to stay. “It was a welcome change of attitude after years of hostile city council policies“, He said.

In 1990, Prime Minister Mike Moore officially appointed him”New Zealand magicianSince 1998, the magician has received 16,000 New Zealand dollars (9,745 euros) annually by the city council for the performance of his duties as a magician.

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He did not hide his anger after the city council’s decision. “They are a bunch of bureaucrats with no imaginationTell the Stuff news site. “They don’t think of ways to promote Christchurch abroad». «They don’t take advantage of my global consciousness. I’m disappointed that they didn’t use the “wizard”».

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