The Wanaka SAR specialist swift-water/canyon rescue team was part of a group involved in retrieving the body of Milford Track worker Hamish Attenborough from a sheer-sided canyon above the Giants Gate Falls in Milford Sound last year. The supreme award jointly recognised the four groups involved in the operation.
The award is reserved for rescues that require extraordinary skills and commitment in exceptional circumstances. Wanaka SAR is the only organisation in New Zealand to have won it three times.
Wanaka SAR spokesman Phillip Melchior said they were fortunate to have highly skilled people willing to give their time to search and rescue.
At least half their alpine rescue team were professional mountain guides. The swift-water team, which won the award, included several former New Zealand representative kayakers.
"We have access to really good people. We train very hard," Mr Melchior said.
Nearly all 80 volunteers were either self-employed or wage earners so did not get paid if they were not at work.
Helicopters were used in 95% of their callouts and were the biggest expense in rescues. That was paid for by police or the rescue co-ordination centre.
The group’s ambition for many years had been to be professional in every respect other than getting paid, Mr Melchior said.
It took about $100,000 a year to run Wanaka SAR. The Central Lakes and Otago Community trusts were the biggest source of funding.
About $40,000 a year was spent on helicopter time for team training as they so often used them in their rescues, he said.
Increasingly people they rescued made donations to express their gratitude. Fifteen or 20 years ago that was unheard of, he said.
One English couple they rescued 12 years ago made a donation every year on the anniversary of their rescue. A North Island tramping club which had been helped recently made a substantial donation to the group.
Wanaka SAR had responded to 24 emergency callouts so far this summer, Mr Melchior said.
Mr Attenborough (21), of Milford Sound, was an experienced tramper. He intended to climb Devil’s Armchair, via Giant Gate Ridge, on March 27 last year. When he did not return as expected a search was launched.
Searchers determined Mr Attenborough was probably down a steep gorge above the Giant Gate Falls.
The Wanaka SAR swift-water/canyon rescue team was lowered into the gorge from a helicopter.
They found a body snagged on rocks metres below the surface.
Police National Dive Squad members Senior Sergeant Bruce Adams and Detective Ben Pye, of Wellington, were able to release Mr Attenborough’s body and bring him to the surface.
"Abseiling is part of our training but without the canyon team, we just couldn’t have done it without injury. They were fantastic," Snr Sgt Adams said.
