A CHAT WITH... JOE MORRIS

Joe orris 2 spent two years rescuing refugees on the reek island of Lesbos and between Italy and Libya. e lives in Wellington with his erman partner lena

ermanns and their -month-old daughter arta. e tells Sharon Stephenson about the desperation that drives people to flee war-torn nations in unseaworthy vessels cooking for people at sea and how humbled he was by the people he saved.

You’re a Wellington boy?

I’m from Seatoun eights just around the corner from where I currently live. rowing up I had a small boat and spent lots of time on the water.

The initial plan was to become a historian? I studied history at Victoria niversity but needed a break before doing my masters so in 21 I went to London where I set up a cafe at an inner-city community farm just off Brick Lane.

But you missed the sea? es. I’d also been seeing stories of refugee boats on the news of mainly fghans and Syrians arriving in reece. I thought I might be able to offer my sailing skills but was also happy to pack bo es or do whatever was needed.

You worked for the Swedish NGO Lighthouse Relief? The first time I was there for a month working as as potter for incoming boats. We’d sit in a hut on a hill using binoculars telescopes and night vision scopes. I was the only iwi volunteer but later met some iwi doctors on the island.

How often did boats come over?

ost nights a boat would arrive sometimes multiple boats.

nd then we might get a week without any. They usually came at night carrying between - people of all ages including unaccompanied minors.

How would you help the boats get to a safe landing place? It’s only around si nautical miles at some points between Turkey and reece but the refugee boats were leaky and not very seaworthy – usually just inflatables with some plywood holding them together. I’d go out with my team and help them get to the beach rather than end up on the rocks. ypothermia was common so we’d give them thermal blankets and take them to a transit camp where we’d give them a cup of tea and a change of clothes if they needed it until they were taken to the nited

ations igh ommissioner for efugees centre to be processed.

It sounds like tough work.

It was. We worked long hours – 12 hour shifts weren’t uncommon. But it was humbling to be able to help these people. The trust they’d put in you even though they’d gone through a traumatic ordeal and had never met you wasastounding.If they ended up on the rocks we’d have to do quite tricky rescues but they trusted us to help.

As if that wasn’t enough, you also had to contend with fascist attacks? We were lucky in the north that we were sheltered from attacks by people who didn’t want the refugees there or for the s to help them. Some of the s had to shut down for awhile which was awful. I didn’ t tell my mother about the attacks though You must have seen some terrible sights? Some of the most heartbreaking were seeing the kids – 1 11 12 – travelling on their own. n one boat a 1 -year-old who spoke great nglish came up to me looked me in the eye and said

If you need help translating I’m your man . e was so adult for a kid and had probably seen more suffering in his short life than many of us will see in a lifetime.

How did the experience change you, in particular your career path? I’ve always wanted to help others butt hate perience changed my career direction from history to health. I went to Barcelona to do a post graduate diploma in global health and am currently training as a paramedic. Last year you worked on a Sea-Watch ship in the Central Mediterranean rescuing boats between Libya and Italy? Because of

ovid no-one could move around urope but ironically I was able to fly to Spain to get on the boat for si weeks. We’d go out in a smaller boat and bring the refugees back to our ship. t one stage we had refugees living on the deck trying to keep them dry and fed. We’d all pitch in to cook rice for them. It was an incredibly political situation and Italy wouldn’t let ships into port so we had to sit outside waiting for them to let us in.

Why did you come back to Aotearoa? In une last year lena rang to say she was pregnant. We met working at Vic Books and got together in 21 so hadn’ t been a couple that long and the pregnancy wasunepect ed. I came back to Wellington and we have an ama ing daughter.

What’s next for you? We’re taking arta to meet her erman family for si months soon and we’d eventually like to move to ermany. I’d also like to do another Sea-Watch contract as a paramedic once I’m qualified.

What do you want Kiwis to know about what’s going on with refugees? There’s often a perception that the people on these boats are economic refugees. But a family wouldn’t put their kids on these lea king unsafe boats if they weren’ t safer than the land they’re coming from.

“It was humbling to be able to help these people. The trust they’d put in you, even though they’d gone through a traumatic ordeal and had never met you, was astounding.”