Determined CTV survivor hands in university thesis

Quin Tang. Photo / Supplied

On the day of the Christchurch earthquake, university student Quin Tang was meant to be putting the finishing touches on her thesis.

Instead she spent it trapped in the ruins of the destroyed CTV building, desperate to find out whether her children were alive.

Ms Tang was at work on the fifth floor of the building when the Christchurch earthquake struck on February 22.

One of her colleagues did not survive its collapse. She was pulled out of the rubble by construction workers.

"My first thought was wondering where my children were and if they were alright. A kind stranger gave me a lift part of the way home and I walked the rest of the way and was amazed to see that my house was standing and that my children were fine."

Her thoughts then turned to the MA thesis on alternative treatments for problem gambling she had due the next day.

She refused to give up on the project despite her "horrific" experience in the earthquake, handing it in to the University of Canterbury this month.

"When it came to possessions in my house I thought, 'I can afford to lose anything else but not this piece of work.' Now I know that it is in a safe place I feel that such a weight has been lifted. I'm not in a hurry to get the results - my part's done."

Getting the thesis done was cathartic and important for her recovery, she said.

She is now contemplating further study - with options including a project on the trauma of natural disasters or cross-cultural trauma.

"To any other students who are thinking of stopping their studies, I would like to say that the carrying on in post-earthquake Christchurch is a life assignment. It's an assignment that we don't get very often, maybe once in a lifetime. Make your mark with this assignment."

Quin's primary thesis supervisor, Associate-Professor Neville Blampied, said he admires Ms Tang's commitment and resilience.

Ms Tang said she has found that strength by dwelling on spirtuality and appreciating the "little things in life".

She has turned to books and on going out into the garden to feel like she is not still up on the fifth floor of the CTV building.

"I am trying to just focus on now, touch the grass, cook a simple meal and try to let it go."

- NZ Herald staff