Kerre Woodham: A lot of life left in Hewitt's story

Who can blame Helen Clark's office for firing off a letter of condolence to Norm Hewitt on the death of his brother?

All but the most hopeful had given up Robert Hewitt for dead after he'd been lost at sea for more than 75 hours.

Thankfully however, like Mark Twain, reports of his death had been greatly exaggerated.

And the news this week has been full of the Navy diver's miraculous and courageous survival.

How often do we get to write, or indeed read, good news stories in the media? Which is a rhetorical question because you know the answer. Not very often. Bad news sells. Bombs, deaths - preferably multiple deaths, epidemics, wars, idiocy on the part of bureaucrats - that's the bread and butter of a reporter's life.

So to be able to report that Hewitt had been found alive and well was a red letter day for journos around the country - and in fact, the world.

The story has been reported in Australia, Britain, the United States - everyone loves this story. Not only is it good news, it's also one of those great yarns with all the elements - the fears of his family, the persistence of his friends involved in the search, the courage and mental fortitude of a man battling the elements, and finally, the happy ending, Hewitt being reunited with his fiancee and children, and the search and rescue team going home knowing that they'd achieved the nigh impossible.

Some people seem to be having trouble getting their heads around the fact that this is a fantastic story of human courage and endurance.

Sceptics who really shouldn't be given the time of day have aired their doubts that Hewitt could have survived that long in the water. Aside from the fact that what in God's name did they think he was doing for the past three days, these people are not the sort of supreme athletes or strong characters who could make any sort of judgement on the matter.

Those in the know - rescue divers, doctors and Navy officials - say there are a number of reasons Hewitt survived. There was his training and experience as a Navy diver, the fact that he could eat the crayfish and kina from his catch bag, and the fact he didn't panic - even when he saw the rescue craft disappearing from the horizon on the first day.

And then there's his incredible spirit.

I can't imagine what it would be like to feel so utterly alone, drifting in the open sea for three days, knowing that your chance of surviving was getting slimmer by the hour.

Credit too must go to his mates, who refused to give up the search for him, and whose knowledge of the waters around Mana led them to the area where Hewitt was found.

I wouldn't be at all surprised to see a jump in the number of applications to join the Navy. Hewitt would make the perfect poster boy for Navy recruiting - once the sunburn fades and blisters are gone.

His ability to survive and his mates' refusal to give up on one of their own is a great advertisement for this branch of the armed forces.

Believe in the story and rejoice in the happy ending, because as the bumper stickers of the white witches in the People's Republic of Grey Lynn say, Magic happens.