Issue 931 - 6 January 2021 Phone (07) 866 2090 Circulation 8,000 Busy workload for Whitianga-based rescue helicopter By Stephan Bosman Soon after a helicopter of the Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust (ARHT) arrived at Crosby Field, the rescue helicopter base in Whitianga, for a five-week period on Monday last week, the crew were tasked on their first mission. That was followed by seven more missions before “Auld Lang Syne” could be heard across the Coromandel Peninsula as people welcomed in the New Year. “The workload of the rescue helicopter that’s at the moment based in Whitianga is evidence that we need a rescue helicopter operating from the Peninsula over long weekends and the busy holiday periods,” says Merv George, chairman of the Coromandel Rescue Helicopter Trust (the owner of Crosby Field). “Traffic around the Coromandel bordered on chaotic over the New Year’s period. Some of the patients the helicopter attended to in the few days before New Year, including motor vehicle accident victims at Kennedy Bay and Wharekaho, were seriously injured. If it wasn’t for the helicopter, it may have taken a long time for them to get to a hospital.” Craig Gibbons, CEO of Northern Rescue Helicopters Limited (a joint venture between the ARHT and the Northland Emergency Services Trust) says he is pleased that they are able to roster three helicopters, two in Auckland and one in Whitianga, on during the current summer holiday season. “It’s something we haven’t delivered in the past,” he says. “While the people on the Coromandel are supported by helicopter aeromedical services from Ardmore, Tauranga and the Waikato, the availability The first Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust crew based in Whitianga for the summer holidays inside the Crosby Field hangar on Wednesday last week. of a dedicated helicopter on the Coromandel From the left - Ati Wynyard (crewman), Mike McAulay (paramedic), Josh Sanders (paramedic) and Paul Robinson (pilot). provides two clear benefits. “The first is additional capacity. With a injured people in the region receive medical shifts required to provide an extra helicopter superb facility and to have the enthusiastic massive increase in the Coromandel summer critical care quickly.” to cover the Peninsula during this hectic time support of the local community. population, our Whitianga-based helicopter According to James Tayler, ARHT deputy of year. “Happy New Year from all the guys and is smoothing our workload during New flight operations manager and pilot, the ARHT “Although a helicopter is only planned to be girls of the ARHT.” Zealand’s busiest period for helicopter crews have been looking forward to being based in Whitianga during what’s anticipated The Informer will be publishing in every issue aeromedical services each year. based back at Crosby Field. “Our first crew to be the period of highest demand, it will this month a summary of missions flown “The second benefit is speed of response. have received the normal warm welcome give us a chance to assess the level of work by the ARHT on the Coromandel during the The close location, coupled with the form the Coromandel community,” he says. to assist with planning into the future. We’re previous week, including missions flown by additional capacity, is already seeing ill and “Our crews were all happy to work the extrafortunate and grateful that Crosby Field is a the rescue helicopter based in Whitianga. Distributed throughout the Coromandel Peninsula, coast to coast from Thames to north of Colville - www.theinformer.co.nz Taking a home-away-from-home to a new level By Jack Biddle Ewen Satherley has a real passion for rather deck folding down snugly against the side. term project and this one certainly just kept longer than a large caravan, but at 4m it’s large trucks while his wife, Julz, has for the A friend of Ewen’s who owns an engineering getting bigger and better,” he said. “I replaced a lot taller, so we needed to be mindful of last 16 years loved spending the Christmas business in Taupo, carried out a lot of the all the tyres, fixed some cab details and broken overhead obstacles,” Ewen said. holidays parked up in the family tent at the structural work, including making the frame fiberglass on the bonnet, fitted new injectors The total length gets stretched a little when Hahei Holiday Resort. the container sits on and ensuring everything in the engine and replaced the mud guards Ewen hooks up his trailer complete with a One would have to say on the surface, tents met the required certification standards. among other things. It’s still registered as a beautifully restored 1971 XY Ford Falcon and trucks don’t seem to be the perfect match, All up the project took Ewen a couple of truck and because the container is designed on board. “Obviously the truck can’t be used but it seems Ewen is never short of a good years to complete. for easy removal, it can and has been used for for ducking up the road to do some shopping idea and Julz wasn’t overly surprised when he Ewen said the truck wasn’t roadworthy other tasks also.” or other errands, so bringing along the came up with a plan to ditch the tent and go when he purchased it around eight years As heading to Hahei these holidays was Falcon seemed to fit the occasion perfectly,” camping in the truck instead. His masterplan, ago, but it wasn’t in bad shape overall either. their maiden voyage, Ewen and Julz spoke he said. “It was originally my father’s and like which he freely admits was conceived over “It had been left parked up on a farm and to management at the Hahei Holiday Resort the truck had sat idle for some time before I a few beers with mates, was to build what neglected for some time, but coming from a prior to their arrival to make sure there purchased it. With help from my twin sons, was basically a tiny house based around a family that has a long history in the trucking were no issues with access and there wasthe an car was completely rebuilt and repowered, shipping container and placing it on the back game, I saw the potential and I love a long- appropriate site available. “It’s actually noso it’s very much part of the family and one of of his much loved and recently restored 1994 a couple of other performance cars we own.” Kenworth T650, a former logging truck. Asked what the fuel consumption was for “Julz has an open mind and has always the Kenworth fully loaded, Ewen said it was been very accommodating to some of the more about smiles per miles rather than litres projects I have come up with over the years,” per mile while the views when travelling were Ewen said. “We both share a passion for amazing. “The engine is not working that camping, so it wasn’t all that hard to get hard to be honest, so the fuel consumption her over the line on this idea, to be honest. is actually not as bad as some might think,” It was made a lot easier when I told her that he said. her espresso coffee machine would be part of The reaction from fellow campers has been the fittings along with a wine rack, full queen all very positive and the truck has drawn loads bed, kitchen cabinets, induction cook top, of comments. “This year was very much a fridge/freezer, aircon and a deck to enjoy a trial for us, but overall things are working out refreshing drink and nibbles with friends in pretty much as we planned and we’re keen the evenings.” to plan some future weekend trips away with Because of its box-like shape, a modified friends who own caravans,” Ewen said. container was seen as the best option for the It hasn’t been a total change for some of the living quarters and Ewen was able to do the family this summer, however. The sleeping conversion from home in Kinloch. arrangements are such that the tent is still The container is fully lined with high used to accommodate the 19-year-old twins. density polystyrene and ply, has double- While enjoying a few cold ones on the glazed opening windows and when in transit, deck this summer with friends, it’s worth the deck folds up via a winch to form the one Ewen and Julz Satherley’s “former logging truck camping container” and speculating what Ewen’s next big project side of the container with the roof over the restored 1971 XY Ford Falcon at the Hahei Holiday Resort last week. will be. What’s happening in the night sky? Night sky information provided and sponsored by Week of Wednesday, 6 January to Wednesday, 13 January - There will be no International Space Station passes this week, but lots of other smaller satellites to see in the early evening. They are generally only visible for about two to three hours after sunset or before sunrise as they have no lights of their own and only reflect sunlight enabling us to see them. Late in the evening, the Earth’s shadow moves around to cover the whole sky so they are invisible except for those few in very high orbits. Satellites generally appear just like faint moving stars but if you see one that is regularly becoming brighter and dimmer as it passes overhead, it is likely to be a piece of “space junk.” These are usually rocket boosters or tumbling satellites that give off flashes of light from their reflective surfaces as they rotate.