Award recipient happy to lend a hand
Conrad Waihape doesn’t say no when people ask for help.
He is involved in community activities in Ohai and Nightcaps and always makes time to help people and groups. If his truck or equipment are also needed, he will bring them along at no cost.
Waihape’s contribution to the district was recognised on Monday night when he received an Ohai Nightcaps Lions Club community service award. He initially thought the invitation to attend was for him to sing and play the guitar but by the end of the night, he had been honoured with the award.
‘‘I was a bit blown away by it,’’ Waihape said. ‘‘I didn’t know I was going to get it.’’
The Lions Club present the award every two years to recognise long and dedicated service in the district.
Waihape, of Nightcaps, owns an excavating and drainage business and is in his 16th year as a volunteer firefighter.
‘‘If someone needs a hand, you give them a hand.’’
Waihape entertains for free at the district’s Christmas concert and at Lions Club and senior citizens’ events. He also donates firewood for fundraising activities and if a local school or the rugby club want a ha¯ ngı¯ for fundraising, he is happy to cook and deliver the food at no charge.
One occasion his truck was used to transport a coffin from the service in Nightcaps to the Wairio cemetery.
Waihape is known by many for the bravery he and Phil Manson showed as firefighters in Nightcaps in 2015. They risked their lives to rescue a woman from a house engulfed in flames.
Both men received New Zealand Bravery Awards from the office of the Governor General.
Waihape has lived in Nightcaps for 18 years and has no plans to leave.
‘‘It’s a good spot to live in and there’s a lot of good people in the district,’’ Waihape said.