Repairs are still ongoing one year on from the devastating Auckland Anniversary long weekend floods.
Video / Auckland Airport / Supplied / Corey Fleming
The floodwaters that took her husband’s life a year ago today rose from less than 10cm deep to the roof of his car within five minutes, his widow says.
Her husband knew how dangerous water could be, Jane Young said.
“He knew our road well and often spoke to me about how dangerous it would be even if only a few inches deep. That night the visibility was very poor. It was raining extremely hard.
“When his car hit the water [from the flooded Opuatia Stream] it was only about three inches deep (7.6cm). He continued forward. However, within five minutes it was up to the roof and he was trapped.”
Neighbours mounted a heroic rescue effort to try to save the 58-year-old’s life, for which his family would be “forever grateful”, she said.
“The community is very tight-lipped on this as it is too distressing for all directly involved. I wish to respect their privacy and our privacy but we will be forever grateful to everyone involved.
“The events of the night will not be disclosed until the inquest.”
Dave Young, pictured with Olivia, one of his two grandchildren, about five years before he died in the Auckland Anniversary weekend floods.
Young’s body was found 1km from where he went missing, after being spotted by a drone operator on January 29.
The father-of-two’s death and those of three other men during the floods - Daniel Newth, 25, Daniel Miller, 34, and Dave Lennard, 78, have been referred to the Coroner but inquest dates are yet to be set, a spokeswoman said.
Miller’s family believe he accidentally stepped into a concealed manhole after its lid had come off, also in Wairau Valley, while trying to help residents stricken by the fast-rising floodwaters.
Almost 100km south in rural Onewhero, dangerous conditions also developed rapidly.
“The water that night collected off the hills and very quickly filled the valley”, Jane Young said.
If her husband was here his message to others facing similar situations in future would be clear.
“Never underestimate how fast water rises in a storm.”
Her husband Dave Young, pictured in an undated photo before his death during the Auckland Anniversary weekend floods last year, was “always smiling, happy and jolly”, Jane Young says.
A year on, her husband remained “continually in my thoughts”, she said.
“I try to keep very busy to keep my mind occupied, but he is never far away. I miss him so much, as do many people.”
Young emigrated to New Zealand from the United Kingdom with his family in 2007, later becoming a citizen after falling in love with his new home.
Her “always smiling, happy and jolly” husband was “always very kind, thoughtful and helpful” to everyone, Jane Young said.
Family had created a charitable trust in his name, with scholarships to be given each year to two high school students - one from Pukekohe High School, where Young previously taught science, and one from Onewhero Area School.
“We set up the trust because people wanted to donate [and] help in some way. Dave was a very kind man and generous with his time. He loved teaching and always had time for the students who tried hard, no matter their abilities.”
The trust was designed to support students “who try but are not necessarily the highest achievers”, she said.
The first recipients are Willow Phillips from Pukekohe High School, who plans to study medicine, and Conor Crosbie from Onewhero Area School, who plans to study agricultural management.
“We hope to support these students for each year they are studying.”
Dave Young (pictured) and Jane Young were living on a lifestyle block in the rural north Waikato settlement of Onewhero when he was swept away in floodwaters to his death on January 27 last year.
She’d had amazing support from family and friends to “help me get through each day”, Jane Young said.
This included her son and daughter-in-law pitching in with running the lifestyle block she’d shared with her husband before his death, her UK-based father and sister who stayed for two months and her husband’s sister, who also travelled from the UK.
And while the community had always been close-knit, in the last year everyone had “really rallied to support each other”, she said.
“There have been support groups and social gatherings to ensure everyone is doing okay. That weekend was traumatic for the whole community as everyone was involved in the search in some way, whether providing food for the searchers or actually out in the fields looking for Dave.
“It was still a very dangerous situation for them as the waters were still very high.”
Family will remember Dave Young - who died in last year's Auckland Anniversary weekend floods - by visiting the place he died, which is close to his home in Onewhero.
The family would mark today’s anniversary by raising a glass to him tonight - a nod to his membership of the local “Brew Club” - and with a walk down to Opuatia Stream, Jane Young said.
“It’s very peaceful there now, and brings me solace and a closeness to him.”
Cherie Howie is an Auckland-based reporter who joined the Herald in 2011. She has been a journalist for more than 20 years and specialises in general news and features.
