Let the good times roll, Kiwi style
by Vicki Anderson (The Christchurch Press,  May 14th, 2010)

The year is 1959 and the Copper Cat Nightclub and Café in High Street is jumping.

In the corner, Howard Morrison would often sit and unwind after a gig at Christchurch's Majestic Theatre.  Dion and Cecile Murphy played at the Copper Cat as Dion Shannon and the Shamrocks and knew Morrison well.

The Murphys are behind the annual ROCKONZ event, a week-long festival celebrating Rock 'n' Roll which ends in Christchurch on Sunday.  Tonight they remember an old friend when Sir Howard Morrison is posthumously awarded the International Star Award, and included in the ROCKONZ Rock Hall of Fame.  "Howard and I used to play rugby in High Street at 2:00am in the morning — no boy racers then," said Dion Murphy, a former professional boxer.  "There were a lot of Americans from Deep Freeze, as it was known then.  They'd pack the place out and we'd all play rugby when it closed."

The award will be accepted by Toni Williams, part of the original Howard Morrison Quartet.

Also being inducted into the ROCKONZ Rock Hall of Fame at tonight's ceremony at the Chateau on the Park is Todd Hunter, representing 1970s Kiwi group Dragon, as are bandmate Mark Williams and singer Eddie Low.

Dragon perform at the Christchurch Town Hall tomorrow night, a concert that will have special significance for the Murphys.  "Our son Shane has cancer and his wish has been to sit in the front row at the Dragon concert and he's going to do that," Cecile Murphy said.  "lt's been stressful trying to organise ROCKONZ this year but we’ve managed it and we'd love people to come out and celebrate these special people with us."