Humble hometown hero still in awe

Doug Laing Siege hero Lenny Holmwood last night took a humble bow in front of hundreds who wanted to thank him for trying to calm the rage of friend and gunman Jan Molenaar in Napier last month.
The bow came as Napier Police Area Commander, Inspector Kevin Kalff, acknowledged Mr Holmwood moments before the start of a Maraenui Golf Club charity auction which helped to more than double the Heroes Day target of $30,000 for victims of the May 7 shooting.
As Mr Holmwood sat at a table with injured officers Grant Diver and Bruce Miller and Napier Mayor Barbara Arnott, Mr Kalff said: "If Lenny Holmwood hadn't intervened, it quite possibly would have been a lot more tragic than it has been."
As the crowd added its own appreciation, Mr Holmwood, leaning on a crutch and still recovering from his own wounds, stood quietly to acknowledge the moment, reflecting the awe he had already expressed in his first public words in the five weeks since the shooting that killed Senior Constable Len Snee.
Arriving at the auction, and having earlier watched the first hour of a golf tournament in which 197 golfers braved four hours of torrential rain for the cause, Mr Holmwood told Hawke's Bay Today: "This is just ... just so humbling, it's just been overwhelming.
"The support, from the police, the public ... I'm finding it's just amazing."
Like officers Diver and Miller, he's not ready to talk publicly at length about the events yet, but did refer briefly to the moment he "couldn't allow it to happen", as he tried to stop Molenaar from firing any more shots and then copped a shot in the pelvis.
The two officers earlier spent about an hour touring the fairways and greens in a golf cart before departing to rest as the rain set in, leaving the unshakeable golfers to carry the day.
Joe Snee, one son of officer Snee, was among those in for a drenching, while second son Sam and partner Penny moved to offer their thanks to Mr Holmwood and introduce him to their 3-week-old daughter, the grandchild Senior Constable Snee was never to see.
At stake in the golf were prizes from more than 130 sponsors arranged by Senior Constable Miller's home club in just three-and-a-half weeks since the tournament golf day and auction was mooted.
With golfers still drying out, club president Dave Cook announced all the entry fees would go to the fund and, along with raffle proceeds, would put almost $10,000 in before the auction started.
Hawke's Bay Seafoods boss Nino D'Esposito got the night rolling by paying $1100 for the first of 89 lots - a recliner chair.
He had already signalled a starting bid of $2000 for Lot No 88, a methusalah of 1999 Boundary, to go with a 1998 bottle he had.
Top price for the night was more than $4000 for a Mediaworks advertising package, and of special interest was a 2009 All Black jersey with the signatures of the current squad. It fetched about $1500, with all the potential to appreciate further tonight, some reckoned.
Late last night, the sums were still being done, but the club reported the auction raised more than $60,000.