Northland fire victim benefits from man who had a lifetime of volunteering

Eric Bettridge dedicated his life to volunteering, as seen in this 2013 photo when he won an award for service to Child Cancer. Photo / Michael Cunningham

A house-lot of goods is being donated to a Northland family who lost everything in a fire, in honour of a man who dedicated his life to volunteering.

Bream Bay resident Eric Bettridge was a big volunteer with the community, especially with the Marsden Lions Club.

The 92-year-old great-great grandfather passed away on January 10 after a short illness.

When his family read in the Advocate about Toni Wickman and her two children losing all of their possessions - and their pet rabbit - in a garage fire in Poroti, they realised they could help out.

Bettridge lived on his own before his death and left behind a home full of good-quality furniture, near-new appliances and kitchenware.

He would have wanted the goods to be donated to someone who needed them, said daughter-in-law Tess Bettridge.

“When we saw in the paper about the family and the fire, we thought ‘Dad would love it’.”

The entire house-lot of goods has been donated to Wickman by Bettridge’s children - Raewyn, Kelvin and Brian - in honour of their father.

Wickman’s friends are now making arrangements to pick up the items, so she can have them ready to move into her new home.

The garage fire in Poroti on Saturday morning destroyed nearly all of the family’s possessions because they had been stacked in the garage in preparation for a move.

Wickman said the fire was a devastating blow after 18 months of hard times, including escaping from an abusive relationship and battling health problems.

But she accepted she needed to carry on, as well as receive help, for the sake of her two children: 16-year-old Wyatt and 10-year-old Journey.

A Givealittle page has now received more than $5000 of online donations and other readers have come forward with donations, said Pip Newman, a close friend who set up the Givealittle page.

Newman said people wanted to support Wickman because of the work she does in the community helping others, including being on the Kokopu School board, driving fundraisers for Kokopu School PTA, coaching hockey and organising the local goat club.

It is the sort of dedication that would have been approved by Bettridge, who was involved with Lions for more than 35 years and enjoyed a wide range of volunteering.

He was recognised for his efforts with numerous awards including a Child Cancer Distinguished Service Award in 2013.

In 2012, he was named a Local Hero in the Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year Awards and a Knight of the Blind for helping the Royal New Zealand Blind Foundation.

In an interview with the Northern Advocate in 2013, Bettridge said he devoted his life to volunteering in honour of his late wife, Bev, and he got real pleasure out of helping people.

Denise Piper is a news reporter for the Northern Advocate, focusing on health and business. She has more than 20 years in journalism and is passionate about covering stories that make a difference.