1931, A.D.S Whyte: Duty before grief

Dr Whyte (left) is remembered for working tirelessly to help earthquake victims despite his own tragedy. (Collection of Hawke's Bay Museums Trust)

A few days after the Napier earthquake, a Herald special reporter described the scene at the hospital.

"It is pathetic to pass the new nurses' home, now a heap of brick and mortar," he wrote, "destroyed as if it had been hit by shellfire.

"Eight bodies were recovered there yesterday. Today on the grass in front of the hospital, carpenters are making coffins."

The deadly 7.8 quake killed 258 people and the nation was moved by reports and pictures of the survivors fleeing the city.

New Zealand rallied around them. "The people of this country have shown, without hesitation, that they regard the burden imposed by the Hawke's Bay earthquake disaster as one to be shared," said the Herald.

Many people performed generous, brave and selfless acts when the quake struck and in the succeeding days when the area was hit by a series of big aftershocks, one rating 7.3.
But one man stood out.

"An inspiring example of devotion to duty under stirring circumstances was that of Dr A.D.S. Whyte, of Hastings, who worked in the operating room for hours after he knew that his daughter had been killed," wrote the Herald reporter.

"Miss [Patsy] Whyte was having her hair dressed when the building collapsed and she was buried under tons of bricks."

For putting his patients first, despite the weight of his personal grief, Dr Whyte is our New Zealander of the Year.

Further reading:
'In the Naper earthquake', Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand

'Earthquake 1931', City of Napier online

Further viewing:
Napier after the 1931 earthquake, Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand

The Years Back - The Thirties documentary, NZ On Screen, 1971