Partner pays dearly to save boy

By ROSALEEN MacBRAYNE

Sue O'Sullivan's act of saving 9-year-old Shayne Zonneveld from their burning Waihi home cost her the chance of escaping unharmed.

As the 34-year-old pushed her partner's son to safety through a second-storey window of their Waihi home, flames shot through the floor near her feet.

Shayne's father, Colin Zonneveld, who had jumped out onto the roof of a nearby shed seconds before, caught the boy as he leaped.

But Ms O'Sullivan left it "a split-second too late" to follow, jumping out of another window after trying to help others caught by the flames.

The family gathered in Tauranga yesterday to grieve the loss of Colin's daughter, Michaela, 7, her cousins Jenny Zonneveld, 11, and Jason, 7, and the children's grandmother, Jeanette Zonneveld, 62.

The four died in the Sunday morning fire, which was so intense it melted indicator lights and door locks on cars parked nearby.

Fire safety officer Peter Fox said the cause of the blaze would not be known until scene samples were analysed. It was not being treated as suspicious.

Ms O'Sullivan, the popular owner of the Farmhouse Cafe in Waihi, remained in a critical condition in Waikato Hospital last night.

She suffered burns to 60 per cent of her body and head injuries from her fall from the window.

Colin Zonneveld told the Herald that his partner of several years must have missed the second roof and jumped or fallen to the concrete below.

He quickly grabbed a mattress from his car and rolled Ms O'Sullivan on to it so he could pull her away from the burning house.

A minute or so earlier he had woken to the fire alarm and found the upstairs level of the 70-year-old kauri villa filled with thick black smoke.

"I came out of the bedroom and down the hallway, screaming and yelling to the kids," Mr Zonneveld said.

Shayne must have passed him in the passage and headed into the bedroom where Ms O'Sullivan was, he said. She then helped him out.

Mr Zonneveld's efforts to reach other members of the family were fruitless and he was forced to jump from another bedroom window.

"It was like I was lost. The fire was everywhere."

Mr Zonneveld and Ms O'Sullivan met as teenagers and went out together until Ms O'Sullivan left New Zealand to travel.

Before the pair met up again several years ago, Mr Zonneveld and former partner Jeanette had Shayne and Michaela.

Ms O'Sullivan was unable to have children of her own, but Mr Zonneveld said she loved Michaela and Shayne "as if they were hers anyway".

The historic villa had five bedrooms and was "Sue's pride and joy" because it was big enough to cope with the extended family.

Shayne stuck close to his father and mother yesterday as the family gathered at the home of Max and Diane Zonneveld, parents of Jenny and Jason, in suburban Pyes Pa.

The youngsters had gone with their grandmother to Waihi for the night while their parents went on a fishing trip.

Albie Zonneveld expected his wife of more than 40 years to be away in Waihi just one night and back on Sunday morning.

For once, he did not go with her because he was "minding the dogs". He had taken his own labrador out to Pyes Pa to join one belonging to Max and Diane.

Son Colin had bred both from his female labrador, lost in the fire.

Family members spoke yesterday of the warm relationship Jeanette Zonneveld had with her eight grandchildren, from little Michaela up to the 18-year-old twins of a fourth son, Murray, who died in a motorcycle accident when the twins were babies.

"She loved them all," said her husband, who also spent a lot of time with the children, taking them fishing and to the beach.

In recognition of Mr Zonneveld's Dutch background, the couple are known fondly as Opa and Oma (Grandfather and Grandmother). They moved to Tauranga from Tokoroa about 20 years ago.