Climber improving day by day

ON THE MEND: Heather Rhodes is making progress after her climbing accident.

Former Greytown woman Heather Rhodes, who fell down a South Island glacier, is now awake in her Christchurch Hospital bed and making slow progress.

Her father, John Rhodes, said his daughter had a head injury, which would take time to recover from, but was now speaking a few words.

Her first words were that she wanted to see her mother, Ann, who has been at her bedside since Ms Rhodes was admitted after the November 3 accident on Cameron Glacier in the Arrowsmith Range.

Speaking from his Greytown home, Mr Rhodes said he had not been able to make the trip south to be with his daughter because he was recovering from knee reconstruction surgery.

However, Ms Rhodes had not lacked for family support, being visited not only by her mother but also her brother, Colin, and sisters Marion, Cherloe and Janet.

"She is awake, not yet fully coherent but improving day by day," her father said.

"Yesterday she was still in intensive care but they are thinking of moving her to either an orthopaedic or neurosurgical ward. Then she is likely to be transferred to Burwood Hospital."

Ms Rhodes, a former Kuranui College student, has a doctorate in environmental science from the University of Otago.

She worked at Outward Bound and the Sir Edmund Hillary Outdoor Pursuits Centre before moving to live in Christchurch where she became the first woman to join the army's Adventurous Training Centre at Burnham Camp, working there for about three years.

Mr Rhodes said his daughter then decided she wanted a change of scenery and resigned her job in July.

Ms Rhodes had applied for a job in Edinburgh, Scotland, and an e-mail had arrived just after her accident, informing her she had been short-listed for the position and offering her an interview.

Mr Rhodes said, however, unfortunately that idea had to be scrapped.

Ms Rhodes's love of the outdoors follows on from her father's adventurous spirit.

Mr Rhodes has, among other adventures, trekked in Nepal, China and Tibet and is well remembered in Wairarapa for his regime, when working at the polytechnic in Masterton, of cycling to and from his Greytown home to work.

He said yesterday he would love to get a chance to see his daughter soon but, because of his own rehabilitation from knee surgery, had some "pretty serious work" to do on fitness first.