Support for James Blas no surprise

Dan Jackson PHOTO/FILE

I have known James Blas for what feels like forever. We are not great mates or anything, but I would always give him a wave or stop for a catch-up if I saw him on the street.

I first remember meeting him when I was about 12. I was playing in Pirates open grade rugby team (once a Pirate, always a Pirate) and I think Jamie was playing for Tech Old Boys. Pirates won the competition that year but Jamie stood out in the opposition. A strong, blond-headed kid who could run fast and tackle like a demon - he commanded respect on the field.

When my team went to Picton for a trip, we made him an honorary Pirate and he came with us. Staying on the marae down there, we all became mates.

I always heard about - through mates in common - what he was up to ... making his own skateboards and presses, restoring houses for his mum, building, making complicated concrete skateboard ramps around the country. And, of course, his skating and snowboarding.

The funny thing is - and it is a funny thing for a tight-knit town like Wanganui - I never heard anything bad about Jamie. He was always helping someone ... always doing something for someone else.

I remember being in a pub in Hamilton in my 20s and I told someone I was from Wanganui and they asked if I knew Jamie. He's that sort of guy.

That's why it's no surprise the community is rallying to his aid after he was struck down by an aneurism 10 days ago.

While his family sit at his bedside in intensive care in Christchurch, hundreds of people have rallied and given support - not just from Wanganui but from around the country and the world. A fund to support him and his family in his recovery has gone past the $2500 mark - skaters aren't rich but they're loyal.

And his family is going to need it - Selena, his partner, and their three kids have had their lives turned upside-down.

James is not a saint and no one is making him out to be. He's just a bloody good friend and father.