The suspected last desperate flailings of an 86-year-old dedicated community volunteer went unanswered shortly before he died in a freak accident outside his Gate Pa home.
Alex Peterson was found pinned between his car and the bank of the driveway down to his garage on Thursday, ending a life that drew tributes from Tauranga South Community Patrols. Neighbours also spoke kindly of the man whose home in Tuthill St was called Daffodil Cottage.
Neighbour Graeme Brown felt guilty that he probably heard Mr Peterson's reaction to being crushed but did not realise anything was amiss.
Mr Brown said he heard two short bursts of banging at about 1.40pm and looked outside his back door. After not seeing anything, he went inside again and did not think any more about it because he was used to seeing and hearing his neighbour busy in the back yard.
A few minutes later Mr Brown drove off to do errands. It was only when he returned home at 3.30pm to the sight of police everywhere that he realised there had been an accident.
In hindsight, he realised that the hollow-sounding banging was probably Mr Peterson thumping the side of his car after he was struck. He heard four bangs.
"I felt a bit stink."
Mr Brown said his neighbour always backed down the driveway to the garage and he assumed the car must have got away on the slope and pinned him to the wall shortly after he got out of the vehicle.
He was told that Mr Peterson also managed to push the emergency button on his medical alarm. When the call centre could not get hold of him, they rang a neighbour who found him and raised the alarm.
Mr Brown said that when he got home, Rowe Motors was pulling the car sideways off Mr Peterson who at that stage was covered by a tarpaulin. The funeral director arrived soon afterwards.
The neighbour on the other side, Angellin Nambier, also heard knocking, but like Mr Brown did not realise the significance.
She said their neighbour helped them clean their spouting and always told them to put their grass clippings in his compost bin rather than pay to take it to the transfer station.
"He was a good neighbour, a kindly man."
Another neighbour Bevan Ngo also attested to the kindness of Mr Peterson whom he had known for about 32 years. He helped Mr Ngo trim his trees and always cleared his letterbox when he was away.
A neighbour who asked not to be named said: "He was a lovely guy. We all look out for each other around here."
Tauranga South Community Patrols secretary Maureen Kathan said Mr Peterson was always volunteering for everything.
He became a familiar figure walking the streets of Greerton, delivering brochures for the police. "He was such an incredibly dedicated person, always ready to volunteer."
Mr Peterson's unfailing enthusiasm extended to community patrols' fundraising car boot sale where he was always first there at 6am and the last away.
"Alex was always ready to do everything and anything. He was such a community-minded person, you could rely on him."
Mr Peterson also became the first recipient of the Tauranga South Community Patrols' Aileen Wright Award this year.