Napier siege hero Stephen Smith’s bravery recognised as he receives prestigious award in Wairoa

Stephen Smith with his new award presented last Tuesday in Wairoa for 50 years' service to the Order of St John in New Zealand.

A paramedic who helped retrieve a wounded police officer during the 2009 Napier siege and also helped rescue a solo yachtsman in 2011 has been recognised for 50 years of service and bravery.

A new Ultra Long Service Medal of the Order for 50 years’ service was presented to Wairoa Fire Station paramedic and Mahia station volunteer paramedic Stephen Smith during an Order of St John ceremony in Wairoa last week.

Guests and family heard how Smith had already received two awards for bravery when he served as a Hastings operations team leader and later a Napier watch manager and Hawke’s Bay district operations manager.

One of the presenters and member of the regional trust board and a member of the order, Tony Ludlow, said Smith was a top-notch paramedic.

Smith then moved to Hawke’s Bay after a stint in Dunedin.

In Napier, the advanced paramedic assisted a wounded police officer in May 2009 after Napier man Jan Molenaar fired on police executing a search warrant. Molenaar killed Senior Constable Len Snee, seriously injured Senior Constables Bruce Miller and Grant Diver and a neighbour trying to help police. .

In his citation for Smith’s long-service gold medal and serving with distinction, Jeremy Gooders, district operations manager and officer of the order, said another officer was also wounded and yet to be assessed.

The police commander asked Smith to assist with the retrieval of that stricken officer.

He accompanied police to where the officer lay.

The last few metres were in the gunman’s line of fire from his last known position.

The second officer had serious abdominal wounds and Smith could see urgent surgical intervention was needed.

The officer was evacuated back to the police cordon from where he was flown to hospital.

Wairoa Mahia St John advanced paramedic Stephen Smith receives his Royal Humane Society silver medal for bravery from society patron and Governor-General Sir Jerry Mateparae in 2012. Photo / Supplied

Smith was awarded the New Zealand Bravery Medal.

Nearly two and a half years later in October 2011, he assisted in the rescue of a solo yachtsman in a life-threatening situation 115km off Cape Kidnappers.

In deteriorating weather and late in the day, the 62-year-old yachtsman had no sails and could not control steering.

The location required 35 minutes’ flying time in conditions near the extreme range for a sea helicopter rescue.

The Lowe Corporation rescue helicopter crew found a vessel pitching and rolling in gusts of 65km/h and 2-5m swells.

At one stage of the rescue, Smith was in the water, battered by the sea and against the yacht after ropes linking a life raft to the boat became entangled with the harness ropes.

The winch line was freed, but the yachtsman fell out of the harness after becoming entangled and trying to return to the boat and fell into the water.

Smith was winched back to the helicopter, exhausted and gasping for air.

The pilot then spotted the yachtsman and Smith was lowered back into the water where he placed the yachtsman in a strop.

Bear-hugging him, they were winched back to the helicopter.

The yachtsman was now unconscious and a supreme effort was needed by everyone to get him on board.

Almost speechless, bruised and with a black eye, the paramedic was vomiting seawater and in need of hospital treatment for secondary drowning.

By the time the helicopter landed at Hawke’s Bay Hospital, it had only 20 minutes of fuel remaining.

This rescue led to Smith, pilot Dean Herrick and winch man Geoffrey Taylor being awarded the Royal Humane Society silver medal for bravery.

After the awards presentation at Wairoa Fire Station, Smith said: “You do not work for an organisation for 50 years without acknowledging the fact that you are working with like-minded people who feel the same as you.”

“To my colleagues thank you for your support … certainly the people I have worked with have helped me get to where I am now.”

The contribution to St John and the commitment of families allowing the members' service to the organisation were also acknowledged during the Wairoa awards ceremony at Wairoa Fire Station. Pictured are Stephen Smith (left), Jeanette Ataera, Carla Mugridge and Fi Pitman.

Other awards presented last Tuesday included five years of service to Carla Mugridge, a Wairoa station emergency medical assistant.

The Service Medal of the Order for St John members who have undertaken 10 years of satisfactory service was presented to Mahia station volunteer first responder and Wairoa station emergency medical assistant Fi Pitman.

Jeanette Ataera, a Wairoa station paramedic, events and ambulance officer and Gisborne emergency medical technician, was honoured with her first bar to her service medal, marking 15 years’ service.

A bar is awarded every five years for ongoing satisfactory service to the order.