Queen's birthday honours: Fireman mastered loss

Thames chief fire officer Boyd Hole finds emergency work rewarding. Picture / Alan Gibson

An emergency worker's worst nightmare came true for long-time volunteer firefighter Boyd Hole when he was called to a motor accident and found his own 16-year-old daughter, Melissa, dead.

Twelve years on, the Thames fire chief - awarded the Queen's Service Medal for public service - still shudders at the memory of New Year's Eve 1993.

He had just taken over as the brigade's deputy chief. Melissa was the backseat passenger in a car, on her way to Pauanui to spend the night with friends. She was thrown out of the vehicle - a model that did not have rear seatbelts in those days. Her companions were injured.

Mr Hole, unaware that Melissa was involved in the crash, arrived on a fire appliance and was being briefed by police officers when "one of them who didn't know me well let it slip".

The shock was unimaginable. He recalled yesterday: "I freaked out for a little bit and they took me home. I had to tell my family."

Mr Hole said he considered giving up his voluntary work but, with the support of the brigade and his family, pulled through and went on to become chief fire officer in 1996.

In February, the 57-year-old will have been a firefighter for 30 years.

The owner of an engineering business, he has no idea of the number of volunteer hours he has put in for the Tairua, Puriri and, from 1982, Thames fire brigades. Training takes up three hours a week and Thames averages 180 fire call-outs a year.

Then there are the civil defence emergencies, including numerous floods, "which can tie us up for a week".

Mr Hole is glad he did not resign after losing his daughter.

"It is very rewarding when you can go out and help people."