Jim O'Neill says experiencing Whanganui's air ambulance service as a patient was an eye-opener.
Jim O'Neill says experiencing Whanganui's air ambulance service as a patient was an eye-opener.
Jim O'Neill planned to crack a beer and watch the rugby test.
Instead he was left fighting for his life after an explosion in the workshop of his Tawhero home.
O'Neill was badly burned. He was taken to Whanganui Hospital and then transferred to Hutt Hospital via Whanganui's air ambulance.
"I was finished bumming around, I sat down and was thinking about having a beer, watching the [All Blacks] test, and 24 hours later I was in Hutt Hospital's burns unit - no beer, no test. I had a beer 12 days later."
Today O'Neill is on the mend but full recovery could take another 11 months.
The Karamu St garage was destroyed by fire after a petrol leak ignited. File Photo / Stuart Munro.
He wants the community to understand how important the air ambulance service is for Whanganui.
"When they came to get me, the nurse told me what was happening and what they were going to do. We went by ambulance from the hospital to Whanganui airport.
"The pilot and male nurse on that plane were absolutely brilliant. I couldn't fault them.
"We were picked up by ambulance from Wellington airport and delivered to Hutt Hospital. That nurse stayed with me until I was admitted. At the end of the day, they were fantastic."
The Wanganui Air Ambulance Trust provided the care and Air Wanganui the planes, O'Neill said.
"They have been hiding under a cloud for way too long and people need to know what they do. There are a lot of people in this town who have got a lot to thank them for. In recent times I know three people who have been on that plane to Wellington and all have come home.
"I can't praise them enough. You don't know from one hour to the next when you are going to require it."
O'Neill spent 11 days in hospital and has been told it will be another 18 months before he is fully recovered.
"But I look at the bright side. There's always someone worse off than you."
O'Neill is back on light duties at GOME (Grumpy Old Men Enterprises Trust) which recently gave $1000 to the Wanganui Air Ambulance Trust. The Air Ambulance Trust is one of a number of community organisations that receive an annual donation from GOME which has raised thousands of dollars by breaking down appliances and selling the scrap metal.
"It was quite different seeing it from both sides, donating to them and actually receiving their services," O'Neill said.
"The service they provide is absolutely first class. They deserve everything you can give them. Amazing service, amazing people."
