Mother died when bank collapsed

A mother of 11 who drowned in a swollen West Coast river had been watching the the raging current with family members when the bank collapsed. The body of Rejoice Steadfast, a member of the Gloriavale religious community, was recovered just after 8am yesterday. She was swept away by the flooded Haupiri River, near the Gloriavale compound. Steadfast was the daughter-in-law of Gloriavale secretary and treasurer Fervent Steadfast, and sister of the late Gloriavale founder Hopeful Christian's wife Ruth.