NZ in science deal

Sharp-eyed snapper rescues boarder

A Taranaki boogie boarder owes his life to an eagle-eyed photographer who dragged him from the surf at New Plymouth’s Fitzroy beach at the weekend.

Matt Goodsell, 35, was floating face down when he was spotted by regular beach goer Daisy Day who first thought she was looking at an empty board and a pair of flippers. She threw her photographic gear at friend Suzi Hurley and headed out through the waves.

‘‘I saw the bodyboard first and then said, oh hang on there’s something attached. I thought, holy heck, and raced out and dragged him in.’’

The person she hauled to shore early on Saturday morning showed no signs of life. ‘‘I couldn’t feel a pulse and he was totally blue. He wasn’t breathing but there was froth coming from his lungs.’’

She was later told that Mr Goodsell had epilepsy. ‘‘He had obviously had a fit and sunk like a stone.’’

But a full-on emergency response from those close at hand who responded to her calls for help and the CPR that followed has been attributed to saving his life.

‘‘It was all on. There was a good four One of the world’s biggest science projects will see New Zealand, Australia and South Africa work together to understand more about the origins of the universe.

The countries will host the $2.5 billion Square Kilometre Array project.

When finished, the world’s largest telescope will feature 3000 15-metrewide dishes with a receiver surface area of one square kilometre.

It will have 50 times the sensitivity, and 10,000 times the survey speed, of the best contemporary telescopes.

New Zealand and Australia had put forward a joint bid for the array in competition with South Africa, which was believed to be the favoured choice.

But on Friday the SKA Organisation announced that the array, dubbed the biggest science project in the world, would be spread in two phases across all three countries.

Victoria University physics lec- of us going hammer and tongs. We got a heck of a lot of water out of him.’’

Going through her head as she did the chest compressions was the Bee Gees’ song Staying Alive which she recalled was recently promoted on TV as the perfect rhythm for CPR.

The group gathered yesterday at the New Plymouth Surf Riders Club to celebrate the fact that Mr Goodsell had made it through the first night – a critical time for near-drowning victims.

His brother had been in touch to thank her and told her that he had already been talking to his family in turer Melanie Johnston-hollitt, the New Zealand science representative for the project, said the country’s involvement in the project was huge.

‘‘This is the first time New Zealand has been involved in a major science project. I think in terms of putting New Zealand science on the world map it’s a big deal.’’

The project had first been discussed in 1991, but during the past 18 months had seen a big escalation with government involvement.

When phase two was completed in about 2020, the massive field of antennas would grant scientists processing power never before available, she said.

Among other uses, scientists would try to understand where the first stars and galaxies formed.

South Africa’s site is in the Northern Cape, with another section in Western Australia. The New Zealand location has not been announced, although Southland is believed to be favoured. ICU at Taranaki Base Hospital.

‘‘I was very elated. It feels pretty good, actually,’’ Ms Day said.

‘‘Emergency services said a few seconds more and he was a goner.’’

Julia Dolan, who also gave him CPR, said she was now desperate to see Mr Goodsell for herself. ‘‘I need to see him alive.’’

She realised Mr Goodsell was the same person who had fixed her bicycle free the last time she went into the cycle shop where he works.

‘‘There’s karma for you,’’ she said. ‘‘It was a good team effort. So far, so good.’’