"No matter how incapacitated you think you are there is always a way around it - there is no such thing as can't."
And that shone through yesterday morning as he carefully moved around the Ruahapia site, with firm neck brace in place, and a chair to sit on when required.
He had been in Gisborne on Saturday and arrived back home on Sunday evening and while tired, was determined to get the last touches of paintwork done as the waka's first booked voyages on the Clive River were getting closer.
"I was pretty tired and I was rushing to finish it," he said.
With a smile he described it as "dancing on Saturday night and on my arse on Sunday night".
He had been sitting on a steel girder and went to move but caught his right boot in a piece of grating and lost balance. To avoid an outcropping piece of steel he pushed himself out, landing on his back.
He realised he was in trouble and took his time before trying to move.
"I waited to make sure my legs were okay - and the dogs were licking me to keep me awake," he said.
He staggered inside and said he'd had a fall, and within the hour he was in Hawke's Bay Hospital.
But not for long.
The diagnosis was serious but it could have been worse, and an X-ray on Tuesday night showed the fracture had not worsened.
"But I'm not out of the woods just yet," he said.
He saw the lighter side to avoiding more serious injury.
"Us fat Maoris can bounce," he said with a laugh.
Mr Edwards said too much work by friends, whanau and members of the disabled community they supported had gone into the two-yearly refurbishment, which is required under maritime law as the 40-seat waka is classed as a passenger craft and required strict licensing, for him not to be there.
He paid tribute to so many people who had volunteered their time willingly to work on the waka which needed extensive replacement of several timber sections which had begun to show wear and tear, as well as new paintwork.
People like Jason Rarere and his son Shay, and Simone Edwards, who all worked during the day but would arrive in the evening to work on the waka until darkness fell.
Mr Edwards said it was always a proud moment to see it return to the water, and it meant so much to everyone involved.
The trust is a service the couple have sacrificed a lot for, but he said it was too important not to pursue.
"My theory has always been give them the skills for their hands and mind and the body will follow."
Mr Edwards received the Pride of New Zealand Lifetime Achievement Award for his work.
His only regret now was his injury would prevent him from steering the waka in the weeks to come, but he would still be aboard - giving instructions to the helmsman.
"You can't keep him away," Mrs Edwards said.
