Critical care flight paramedics like Gareth McDougall (left) are most likely to be winched into water. Peter Clough (pictured with grandson Hunter) and fellow Rangatira Hunting Club members Scott Wallace and Rob Matenga were pleased their donation achieved what it did.
Critical care flight paramedics like Gareth McDougall (left) are most likely to be winched into water. Peter Clough (pictured with grandson Hunter) and fellow Rangatira Hunting Club members Scott Wallace and Rob Matenga were pleased their donation achieved what it did.
A generous donation and some smart purchasing have provided the Trust Tairāwhiti Eastland Rescue Helicopter team with an extra layer of protection when carrying out water rescues.
The $12,700 donation to the Eastland Helicopter Rescue Trust (EHRT) came courtesy of the now-defunct Rangatira Hunting Club.
Smart buying meant the team was able to buy around $25,000 worth of immersion suits – six in total – for the more accessible sum of $10,000.
Base manager/critical care flight paramedic Richard Curtis said the suits had been on their wish list for a while so the team was stoked to get hold of ex-lease suits, most of which had never been worn.
“Should team members be immersed in water, the suits provide thermal insulation and a bit of buoyancy, so they’re a fantastic rescue aid,” Curtis said.
Former Rangatira Hunting Club executive member Peter Clough said when it was time to wind up the club, the decision to donate residual funds to EHRT was an easy one.
The immersion suits' bright colour makes the wearer easy to see in the water. But base manager Richard Curtis (pictured) said the main role of the suits is to keep their wearer warm to prolong life and aid rescue efforts.
“Scott Wallace, Rob Matenga and I were left with making the decision, and it turned out that the first organisation to come to mind was the one we went with,” Clough said.
“If a hunter goes missing out in the back of beyond, the thing they most want to hear is the rescue helicopter, so supporting our community, while supporting EHRT, was a no-brainer.”
Clough said the hunting club used to be very active, with an annual hunting competition and prizes for young people.
“There were plans for a big contest, and that’s what we were saving up for. But then Covid came and as people moved out of the district, the club got to the point where there were only a couple of members left. So between us, we decided we didn’t want the fund to just be frittered away. We wanted to do some good with it.”
He and his fellow club members were totally on board with the suggestion their donation be used for the Survitec suits.
“Our community has suffered a lot of pain in recent times – particularly around water – that had a big impact on families from the Te Karaka area, so it’s fantastic to know we could have played a part in helping our own.”
Suspicious house bus fire investigated
Firefighters were called to a property in Bushmere Rd on Sunday after a parked house bus caught fire in suspicious circumstances.
Two fire appliances and two water tankers responded to the fire, which was reported about 10.20pm.
A senior firefighter said firefighters found the fire at the unoccupied house bus was “fully involved” when they arrived.
“It was extensively damaged,” he said.
A specialist fire investigator has since attended the scene and the cause is being treated as suspicious.
At 5.45pm on Sunday, a fire crew went to Roberts Rd to put out a small driftwood fire on the beach.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand, along with Hato Hone St John and police, responded to a vehicle crash on State Highway 35, Wainui Rd at 9.30am on Sunday.
“A car had left the road and gone into a ditch,” the senior firefighter said.
“The occupants had left the scene by the time the emergency services arrived.”
A police spokesman said inquiries were ongoing to locate those involved as of Monday.
