TE NUPEPA O TE TAIRAWHITI WEDNESDAY, MAY 5, 2021 HOME-DELIVERED $1.90, RETAIL $2.20 PM TO SAY COVID-19 ‘I DO’ THIS Cook Islands, here Kiwis come Fired Customs worker slams policy PAGES SUMMER 7-10, OVERPASS COLLAPSE India crisis shows no sign of stopping 13-14 PAGE 3 Biden sets new US vaccination goal DEATH TOLL AT 24 PAGE 15 Search for Tolaga Bay boy ends in ALIVE joy 19 hours later by Murray Robertson THE search for a missing Tolaga Bay boy had a jubilant ending this morning when he was found alive and well 3.5 kilometres from his home at Mangatuna. AND News came through at around 10.45am that three- year-old Axle Hamblyn had been found further inland from his Paroa Road home by a volunteer in the search team. “He’s been found and he’s alive,” an elated search spokesman Sergeant Greg Lexmond said when The Gisborne Herald called him for WELL FOUND: Tolaga Bay boy Axle an update. “He’s alive and well and in Hamblyn was missing for over good health.” 19 hours before found by a Distress turned to joy volunteer in a search team. and relief for Axle’s family, Picture supplied who were reunited with the wandering infant at the involved in the search last Paroa Road search base soon night, and we have about 80 afterwards. involved today.” Axle was being checked over The Trust Tairawhiti by a St John Ambulance team Rescue Helicopter was called at the search base when The in last night with thermal Herald went to print. imaging gear on board but The distraught family found no trace of the boy as reported Axle missing to police the temperature dropped at around 3pm yesterday and a significantly. search was initiated. The chopper rejoined the He had wandered off from search this morning. his home, accompanied by a Members of the Character neighbour’s miniature, fluffy Roofing surf lifesaving white-coloured pet dog. emergency callout squad in The dog returned home at wetsuits searched the shallow 4pm but there was no sign of waters of the nearby stream Axle. last night. The search continued “The waterways were quite through the afternoon and into clear and shallow so we were the evening until around 11pm. pretty confident Axle had not It resumed at first light this gone there,” Sgt Lexmond told morning. The Herald earlier today. Axle was wearing a blue- They continued to search coloured shirt with palm the nearby Uawa River this trees on it and blue gumboots morning and the New Zealand with sharks on them when he police dive squad was put on disappeared. standby. Police immediately appealed Police dog teams were also for sightings of him on social used last night in an effort to media and radio. track Axle’s movements. The number of people looking “We searched everywhere for him built up steadily as in the vicinity of the house social media posts by police, last night and today we were Uawa Live and elsewhere in the process of going over it alerted people to the situation. all again when the great news “There was an absolutely came through,” Sgt Lexmond awesome response from the said. Uawa and wider community,” Their main focus had been Sgt Lexmond said. in the bush area immediately REUNITED: Axel Hamblyn is reunited with mother Haley Allatt to the cheers of over 100 search and rescue “More than 150 people, around the house. volunteers. The toddler sparked a huge search after going missing from his Mangatuna home. police, SAR operators and Uawa Live picture members of the public were CONTINUED ON PAGE 3 GISBORNE RUATORIA WAIROA Local News ...... 1-5 Business ............11 Television ...........18 Racing ................23 Births & Deaths ...4 Opinion ..............12 Farming ........ 19-20 Sport ............ 24-28 9 771170 043005 TOMORROW National .... 6-10, 17 World............ 13-15 Classifieds ... 21-22 Weather .............27 > 2 NEWS The Gisborne Herald • Wednesday, May 5, 2021 VISION TO REALITY 30 years of House of Breakthrough . and ‘so much more to do’ by Jack Marshall For the 30-year anniversary, the church had two guest speakers, THE House of Breakthrough Trev and Deb McDowell — the Church celebrated a milestone in first church leaders Norm and Jess the community on Sunday with trained at the church. a special service to mark its 30th House of Breakthrough was year. originally known as Elim Church, In 1991 pastors Norm and Jess the name of their house of worship McLeod moved from Oamaru to in Oamaru. Gisborne to start Elim Church, After 22 years they decided to which is now known as the House become a separate church to better of Breakthrough Church and is fit the needs of Tairawhiti. located on the corner of Ormond Among House of Breakthrough’s and Lytton roads. list of duties is helping people Pastor Norm said it was a huge with budgeting and parenting, and decision. giving them general guidance. “We left the freezing works, “We’ve accomplished something church — it was a big move. We left but I’m always looking ahead,” everything. We’d never been here in Pastor Norm says. “There’s so much our lives. more to do. I want to help people.” “We’d been working in Oamaru Particularly rewarding has been for about eight years with the seeing people improve their lives church group and doing youth work and breaking the cycles of poverty and stuff on the streets, and were and violence. happy there.” “But socially in our city — Pastor Norm said he was praying THE LORD’S WORK: the gangs and the drugs — it’s After making the huge one day when he saw a vision of not much different from when opening a church in Gisborne. decision to shift from we first came, so I’d like to see Oamaru to Gisborne, He spoke with wife and fellow transformative change. That’s my pastor Jess and after a few years pasters Norm and next chapter,” Pastor Norm says. Jess McLeod and of preparation they moved to “It starts with men, husbands — Gisborne to start a new chapter in their congregation teaching them to stop beating up celebrated 30 years their lives. their wives, showing them how to Their first Gisborne services of the House of parent, giving them relationship Breakthrough Church were held on April 28, 1991, at the skills and doing that not in a Te Hapara School hall after posting on Sunday. church-threatening way.” Picture supplied an advertisement in The Gisborne The House of Breakthrough Herald. also helps 17 churches overseas in Combined attendances for the places like India, Pakistan and the first services were 67 but within a Pacific Islands, where they help few years numbers grew to several build schools, provide homes for the hundred people from all walks of homeless and employment for the life. poor. CAKE TIME: Pastor Norm McLeod, with wife Jess (second from left) and smiling church members watching, cuts the anniversary cake. Picture supplied Get your Gisborne Herald • Pianist and Lytton High head of music Sean Scanlen (pictured) talks about home-delivered conducting the Gisborne Concert Band for a performance this month. • Images of an Icelandic volcano seared into Margaret Hansen’s brain a decade ago sparked the idea for a collection of work called Geologica. • NZ-Filipino comedian James Roque is bringing Boy Mestizo to Gisborne — a show about his hang-ups about race that might not have entirely come from moving to New Zealand as a child. TOMORROW PLUS: MUSIC GUIDE • FILM REVIEWS • GUIDE GOSSIP The Gisborne Herald, 64 Gladstone Road, P.O. Box 1143, Gisborne • Phone (06) 869 0600 • Fax (Editorial) (06) 869 0643 (Advertising) (06) 869 0644 Editor: Jeremy Muir • Chief Reporter: Andrew Ashton • Circulation: Cara Haines • Sports: Jack Malcolm/John Gillies To fi nd out more call 869 0620 e-mail: [email protected] • [email protected] • [email protected] • web site: www.gisborneherald.co.nz The Gisborne Herald • Wednesday, May 5, 2021 NEWS 3 Summer wedding for Clarke and the PM PRIME Minister Jacinda The PM said she “knew of Ardern announced her no plans” for Mother’s Day this engagement to Clarke Gayford coming Sunday. in 2019 . and she has finally “I know of none except for revealed when the wedding will the fact that I said something to take place, well, sort of. Clarke about it yesterday and Live on air on Coast Radio there was a long pause . so this morning, she told hosts I’m not expecting much,” she Sam Wallace, Toni Street and said. Jason Reeves that she and Last year the Prime Minister Gayford have “finally got a was quizzed on whether a date date”. had finally been set for the “That doesn’t mean we’ve wedding, to which she replied: told anyone yet so I feel like “Yes I can tell you that we have we should probably put some some plans. They are some way invites out,” she said. off. And although she wouldn’t “We might need to share be drawn on the exact date of some of our plans with our the wedding, she shared that it family and friends before we do will take place this summer. that more widely.” But she might not be Ms Ardern and Mr Gayford celebrating the traditional way, got engaged over Easter 2019 admitting she “feels a bit too at Mahia during a break at his old to have a bridal party”. family bach. “I don’t know if it’s just me He proposed to her at the but for some reason I feel like top of a hill with a diplomatic because I’m getting on a bit I protection squad officer nearby.