Tot stuck in machine
One-year-old Jackson Sheppard was so keen to get his hands on a rugby ball he got stuck inside a vending machine trying to reach one.
The Katikati toddler was at the Waihi Beach RSA with his mother, Mel Sheppard, on Monday when he saw the claw machine filled with rugby balls and climbed inside.
Dad Greg Sheppard was heading into a meeting when he received a message from his wife telling him Jackson was stuck in the machine.
“I thought she was joking.” But when he heard the fire engine sirens, he realised she was serious.
Mayor View firefighter Mel Gearon said Jackson was already out when firefighters arrived because the door had been broken off.
“It is quite a little kid and a big machine,” Gearon said. “He was fine when he was out, not even a scratch.”
Sheppard was unsure which team’s ball he was trying to grab, but it was probably the Chiefs ball.
“He’s got a Chiefs flag and he drags it through the house.”
He thanked the Peter Spiers electricians who rescued Jackson. “He only panicked at the end when the men came [to break the door],” he said. “It will be a good memory for his 21st.” — Bay of Plenty Times