From left: Jonny Halton (Kamo),Paul Austin (Marsden 22), Daniel Halton (Kamo), Ingo Junge and Brian Powell (Onerahi) at the top of Parihaka on Saturday. Photo / Brian Powell
From left: Jonny Halton (Kamo),Paul Austin (Marsden 22), Daniel Halton (Kamo), Ingo Junge and Brian Powell (Onerahi) at the top of Parihaka on Saturday. Photo / Brian Powell
An ensemble of Northland firefighters conquered Mount Parihaka in full gear to commemorate both their 65 fallen Kiwi comrades, and the 343 New York firefighters who died in the 9/11 attacks.
Onerahi Volunteer Fire Brigade station officer Brian Powell organised the humble commemoration in lieu of the annual The 9/11Memorial Stair Climb event in Auckland – postponed on the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks due to New Zealand's Covid outbreak.
Powell was joined by fellow firefighters Ingo Junge (Onerahi), Paul Austin (Marsden 22 - Refinery), and brothers Daniel and Jonny Halton (Kamo) to pay their respects with a 6km hike up the popular mountain in central Whangārei on Saturday.
Powell said he couldn't let the day pass without acknowledging those fallen firefighters, especially having visited New York's "sobering" 9/11 memorial sites on multiple occassions and stayed in the New York Fire Department.
"Having seen that first-hand makes you really passionate," he said. "They saved so many lives on that day – it was such a sacrifice. I just didn't want Saturday to pass without doing something to acknowledge that."
