Enchanter tragedy: Northland rescue chopper crew awarded highest NZ Search and Rescue Awards accolade

A Northland Rescue Helicopter crew’s relentless efforts to pluck survivors from a stricken Enchanter in churning water at nightfall has earned them a top national accolade.

Pilot Lance Donnelly, co-pilot Alex Hunt, St John critical care paramedic Josh Raravula, and lead winch operator Paul Davis experienced a career first when they received the Gold Award - Operational at the New Zealand Search and Rescue Awards at Parliament on Tuesday night.

The award was shared with the Northland Police Search and Rescue Squad, Police National Dive Squad, Maritime New Zealand Rescue Coordination Centre, crews of the Florence Nightingale and Pacific Invader, and Enchanter deckhand Kobe O’Neill whose actions on the night of March 20 last year helped save the lives of five men.

Tragically five others aboard the charter boat died after a rogue wave reportedly caused the Enchanter to capsize off the North Cape. They were Geoffrey James Allen, 72, Michael Patrick Lovett, 72, Richard Eldon Bright, 63, and Mark Keith Walker, 41, all from Cambridge, and Mark Kenneth Sanders, 43, from Te Awamutu.

The Northland rescuers called on every ounce of their experience to pull three men from the Enchanter’s wrecked hull before performing a second set of difficult and hazardous winch retrievals to save two more lives.

Among those saved was Shay Ward, who will be forever grateful to be safely returned home to his family.

“We are all so grateful for them and what they did. They deserve all the accolades possible for what they achieved.”

Davis said bringing the survivors back to safety and their families was an “amazing feeling”.

He had been surprised to learn about the prestigious award and said it was “humbling” to be recognised.

“It was a particular mission that was certainly the most difficult any of us in the crew had ever undertaken and in the end, it was a real team effort. ”

Donnelly echoed Davis, he too was humbled to take home the top honour.

“I was just doing my job,” he said. “But it’s actually fantastic for the whole crew to be recognised and the other organisations.”

New Zealand Search and Rescue (NZSAR) secretariat director Duncan Ferner acknowledged the complex rescue operation.

“The Enchanter rescue took place at night, in a remote location, during turbulent weather. It demanded an incredibly high level of skill and teamwork between agencies with no margin for error.”

Donnelly often replayed the rescue over in his mind.

“I think of the people that we missed and the families that were affected by that,” he said.