Christchurch earthquake: Green lamingtons save bakers life

Photo / APN

Green lamingtons almost certainly saved the workmate of a baker fatally injured in the Christchurch earthquake.

Shane Tomlin, 42, was working at the Trocadero Bakery on Cashel Mall when the quake struck and was pulled from the rubble.

A photo of him, alive, was published worldwide, but he later died, unbeknown to his family, and ended up in the Christchurch Hospital morgue. The family are now preparing for a funeral.

A co-worker, known only as Bev, rang Newstalk ZB yesterday to tell her story.

She said that on Tuesday morning, Mr Tomlin predicted an earthquake because of seismic activity in Argentina and whales beaching themselves. At 12.51pm, that came true.

"All I could see was dust and shit coming at me and Jay [a co-worker] yelling out, 'Shane, Shane, Shane where are you?'

"Then there was this almighty bang and the building crashed down. I could see daylight. I didn't know what to do."

Mr Tomlin had fallen through the floor into another shop on the ground floor.

Bev was supposed to be beside him in the same area of the bakery, which was on the second storey of the 90-year-old building.

But she had moved to another bench to make green lamingtons.

"Poor Shane ... I'm just happy that I did my green lamingtons. I should have been on that side with him. I could have been dead."

Although Mr Tomlin was photographed being rescued, his family and friends never saw him alive.

Bev had thought her workmate, who lived alone, might have walked home when the shaking stopped. Instead, he was found in the morgue.

"He was so lovely, he used to bring me an apple every day and he brought me a rose last week ... He loved his garden and he loved his races. He was just so kind. I don't know if I'm ever going back. I keep envisaging ... It should have been me. It's just horrible."