'Hero' off to Aussie then Asia

Kohan McNab organised quake volunteers in Christchurch, wishes they could share in his award. Photo / Supplied

Kohan McNab helped lead thousands of shovel-wielding students into Christchurch's silt-laden suburbs after the February 22 earthquake.

It is for those thousands he has accepted a Cathay Pacific Community Hero award, says the former University of Canterbury Students' Association president.

The day of the quake McNab was a little over a month into his new role as president and was, incidentally, working to revive the Student Volunteer Army that had helped clean up after the September 2010 quake.

The plan was to do a beach clean-up that weekend, he says.

Instead, about 5000 students shovelled silt from liquefaction-choked streets and homes for three weeks, backed by more volunteers who transported, fed and co-ordinated them and businesses who lent equipment and other support.

It was the volunteers McNab thought of when people were saying "flattering things" to him. "We were working with a massive group of people. If those people hadn't given their time and if we hadn't had the support of businesses we wouldn't have been able to do anything."

He credited the challenge with helping him get a job in operational management for a mining services company in Australia.

Canterbury-raised McNab goodheartedly blames his "meddling" family for the award.

"They nominated me without me knowing."

McNab's uncle, Terence McCloy, takes responsibility for the nomination, saying his nephew is a deserving recipient.

The logistics of organising the student volunteers was massive, but McNab is "one of those kids that whatever he turns his hand to he does really well".

McCloy also feels the award honours the thousands of other young people who helped after the quake.

"The world is full of stories about kids doing crap but [the students] were working for nothing to help people."

McNab will fly to Hong Kong courtesy of Cathay Pacific and stay at the Courtyard by Marriott, with $500 spending money from the Herald on Sunday.