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Te Anau SAR

I was astounded and dismayed to read the headlines on the front page of The Southland Times (April 9).

History shows that helicopters based in Te Anau have carried out so many search and rescue missions since October 1967 when Bill Black flew into Big Bay to rescue two aircraft crash victims.

Up until December 2000 a total of 481 SAR and ambulance missions were flown, mainly from the Te Anau base, by just this one pilot and there were many more rescue flights flown from Te Anau by a number of other Te Anaubased pilots during this time.

One example stands out when on February 8, 1998, two Queenstown-based helicopters were dispatched to try and recover a young Dutch tramper from the Mackenzie hut on the Routeburn track, following a serious accident which claimed the life of her companion and rendered lifethreatening injuries to the victim.

Both of these aircraft had to turn back on account of the weather and lack of vision in the darkness.

Bill Black later flew from Te Anau in appalling conditions and managed to get her to Southland Hospital, which undoubtedly saved her life.

And to suggest that Squirrel helicopters are unsuitable is ludicrous as so many rescues have been undertaken by these aircraft not only in New Zealand but throughout the world, proving their suitability for such work.

I was directly involved in the recovery of the body of a hunter from the upper Te Naihi Valley back in January 1960 and spent three days waiting for a helicopter to be trucked to Makarora then flown into the accident site to effect the recovery.

Since that time and until about 2003 I was involved in a great number of SAR missions and have been in a position to really appreciate the value and development of helicopters and aids such as night vision equipment and winch gear to assist our wonderful pilots based in Te Anau and also come to understand the need for them to develop a knowledge of Fiordland and its very challenging terrain and weather.

Please let common sense prevail. John von Tunzelman QSM Te Anau

Rescue beacons

As a recent user of a rescue beacon on Stewart Island I would just like to endorse your wise words (April 4) on ‘‘The beauty of beacons’’.

Just before Easter while heading towards Freshwater Hut, I slipped and fell, injuring both my knee and ribs.

From being immobile on the side of the track in dense bush, three hours later I was in the emergency department at Southland Hospital mainly because of the rescue beacon, the fantastic work of the rescue centre, the helicopter pilot, the paramedic and the winch-man.

It took a few heart-stopping moments to winch me past the skids and into the helicopter but the skill of the pilot and the winchman was amazing to watch and I just happened to have a great view of the proceedings.

I am extremely grateful to the three men who rescued me from a very painful and rather difficult situation.

Beacons of course are only useful if someone responds and I thank all the responders very, very much. Also, they are also only useful if you actually have one and I thank my tramping partner (and my wife) for always having one in her pack.

Following my rescue, I spent more than a week in your wonderful hospital and I would just like to thank all involved in my care and recovery as well.

Everyone works so hard at your hospital and I was looked after so well by all involved in my care and recovery for more than a week.

Your nursing care, surgical skill and hospitality were first class and will not be forgotten. May God bless you all. Jim Costello Punakaiki