Kia Ora
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a model soldier, neighbourliness and hot fish dinner
After the strong earthquake on 4 September passed, John Fowler hopped out of bed and into his car. The east Christchurch man drove along buckled streets to get his car battery warmed up.
Then he sat in his car, listened to the radio and dusted off his trusty thermette (a cooking stove and water heater in one).
Disarray
"We've had a thermette for the last 40 or 50 years so it was filthy," says the 81-year-old who found some sticks and paper to make a fire. First things first: he needed a cup of tea.
Back inside his house, John found his collections of whiskey, railway and military paraphernalia in disarray in cabinets or spilled on to the floor.
"Some of them have lost their heads but I've managed to glue them back on. Some of them are beyond repair," says the pensioner in a strong Scottish accent, holding up a pewter model soldier.
Helping to restore order were his son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren, who also brought supplies of water.
Continuity
When the electricity was restored, he fielded six calls from worried people in Scotland. After the disaster, many people in Canterbury lost electricity and water, mail deliveries were cancelled and all schools were closed.
So people like John Fowler who rely on a Meals on Wheels delivery expected to miss out on their hot dinners.
But skipping her shift wasn't an option for New Zealand Red Cross volunteer Jo Starkey and her colleagues, who didn't miss a single meal.
The quake broke a vase and a glass at Jo's house, but she was keen to see her regulars, especially the older Meals on Wheels recipients who lived alone in badly hit east Christchurch.
While more than 40 staff and volunteers worked on the emergency response, regularly serving volunteers continued to work. They deliver not only a hot meal, but also a friendly face, which is even more important after a disaster.
"I just hope someone like me is around when I'm that age," says Jo.
Hilda Davidson is a Meals on Wheels recipient who was delighted to find deliveries continuing after the quake. She has been getting them since she had a fall.
"I don't know what I would do without them."
Barry Prisk, who uses a walking frame to get around, was glad to get some help clearing 2cm of silt that seeped out of the ground in the disaster.
In another part of east Christchurch, Ivan Liddy, 92, jokes, "I'm Ivan the terrified". He went on to gleefully recount the other earthquakes he'd survived.
"I remembered my Napier quake days." As a schoolboy, he thought a colleague was jolting his elbow, causing his writing to veer off the page. That was in 1931, during the Hawke's Bay earthquake, the disaster that spurred the creation of New Zealand Red Cross.
Wonderful neighbours
Later, as a cadet in the post office, he survived the Wellington quake of 1942. And then there was the Inangahua quake of 1968 when he was asked to sort out the Reefton post office.
And now the pensioner, who is nearly blind, has survived another disaster.
Spritely Margaret Woolley, 95, told Jo the disaster rattled her. "I didn't feel so perky after the quake. My torch batteries were flat."
Fortunately, as has happened all over the city of 350,000, neighbours checked on her.
"The people next door pave me a torch with batteries in it. They were wonderful," she says.
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TO MAKE A DONATION TO THE CANTERBURY EARTHQUAKE APPEAL
- Make a secure online donation now to the Canterbury Earthquake Appeal by clicking here.
- Make an automatic $20 donation by phoning 0900 33 200.
- At any branch of Post Shop Kiwibank, ANZ, National, ASB, BNZ and TSB throughout New Zealand
- Vodafone FreeTXT service. To donate $5 FreeTXT ‘QUAKE' to 555 or $3 FreeTXT ‘QUAKE' to 333
- At any Red Cross service centre or branch nationwide
- By sending a cheque (made payable to: New Zealand Red Cross) to: Canterbury Earthquake Appeal, Freepost 232690, PO Box 12140, Thorndon, Wellington 6144
- 100% of all money donated to the Canterbury Earthquake Appeal will go to the Appeal
After the emergency: What now?
Dealing with an emergency can be stressful and exhausting, it is a complex process that may take months, even years to overcome.
Issues such as finding accommodation and rebuilding, maintaining an income, dealing with grief, managing health issues and stress, and replacing lost items can seem insurmountable.
It is important that, as much as possible, people are encouraged to look after themselves and their family and friends during this period. Research has shown that those who use formal and informal support from family, friends or other support organisations are generally found to cope better with stressful situations.
For more information click here
For help with teenagers click here
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