Health Network thanks flood helpers

PART OF THE JOB: Whanganui Regional Health Network community developer Sharon Duff presents Wanganui Aeroworks' Liam Hogan with a certificate of appreciation. Behind her is Dean Lithgow, with back row Ricky Symes, (left), George Herbert and Jamie Robertson. PHOTO/ BEVAN CONLEY 030815WCBRCARE01

For the week following the June floods, chopper pilot Dean Lithgow was making about 12 trips a day up and down the river, getting help to those who needed it.

He estimated he and the team at Wanganui Aeroworks made about 150 trips along the Whanganui River to remote properties, where they dropped off medication and food to those trapped by extensive slips.

Aeroworks was a deserving recipient of a certificate this week from Whanganui Regional Health Network community developer Sharon Duff for their huge effort during the emergency.

"We wanted to say thank you because we actually saw how hard you guys worked, even though you play it down," Ms Duff told Mr Lithgow.

The team at Aeroworks worked with local whanau of people trapped down the Whanganui River Rd to find properties and drop off supplies, including three-month supplies of medications.

"We were trying to get everybody three-months' supply," Ms Duff said. "We didn't know how long the roads were going to be blocked."

There were five helicopters involved in the trips, and 10-20 staff hard at work for the first week. In the following three weeks they made trips twice a week, Mr Lithgow said.

"In the helicopter industry there's no day that's the same," he said. "The phone can go now, it could be the armed offenders ... that's our job, that's what we've always done so that's why I sort of play it down a little."

Also receiving a thank-you certificate were staff at the Springvale Garden Centre cafe, who collected about 2000 cans of food over a five or six day period to donate to flood victims.

Earlier in the year, owner Lyn Crawford had the idea to give people free coffee if they brought in a can to donate to the Women's Refuge.

"We're really, really busy here and we have a huge clientele and just sometimes you have to give back. Well you don't have to but sometimes you want to give back."

The decision to do it again for flood victims was a "spur of the moment" one.

"We'd been extremely busy over the period of the floods . . . I think like everybody else in Wanganui that wasn't affected we all wanted to do something to help, and it was just like 'oh, let's do it again. It was so successful last time, let's do it again'."

Mrs Crawford said the public were bringing in so many cans they were running out of room for them all.

"I had to ring my husband and say 'come and get this food out of our way, we're falling over it'."

Allpress Coffee, Meadowfresh, and Golden Fields supported the cafe by donating milk and coffee products during the collection period.

"We had people coming every day with a can or two cans and getting a coffee.

"They weren't doing it to get a coffee, they were doing it to bring the food."

Ms Duff said Mrs Crawford's collection was a "great idea".

"Civil emergencies are a terrible time for the people directly affected. When the community responds so quickly to try to meet some of their needs, it is a sign that our community is really responsive and caring."