Renewed push to honour soldier who gave his life on Mt Ruapehu to save others

Saturday, 13 August 2022

Flanked by whānau, Kathleen Stewart speaks about her son Private David Stewart, who died after being stuck in a storm on Mount Ruapehu in 1990.

Private David Stewart died showing extreme bravery in saving the lives of others in a storm on Mt Ruapehu. An advocate who believes his efforts were never truly recognised is hopeful Stewart will now get the correct honours. George Heagney reports.

A 32-year push to have a soldier properly recognised for his bravery after he died saving others on Mt Ruapehu could finally be nearing the finish line.

Private David Stewart was one of six men who died on the mountain in August 1990, after the weather deteriorated quickly, trapping two instructors and 11 students who had been on a training exercise in a nightmare of snow, ice and strong winds.

It is the greatest loss of life within the NZ Defence Force in one event since World War II.

Kathleen Stewart, left, and chief of army Major General Boswell unveil the plaque bearing David Stewart’s name.

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Exposed on the mountain, the group sheltered in sleeping bags from 140kph-plus wind, which was lifting people off their feet, with visibility was less than a metre.

Retired colonel Bernard Isherwood has been pushing for David Stewart's bravery award to be upgraded.

Hypothermia set in and six of the group died before they were rescued.

In 1999 New Zealand Bravery medals were awarded to privates Stewart and Sonny Tavake, who was known as Sonny Te Rure, for helping those with hypothermia, while Brendon Burchell, one of those who went for help, received the same honour.

But retired colonel Bernard Isherwood, who led the inquiry in the immediate aftermath of the disaster, has been working for 32 years to have Stewart’s efforts properly recognised with a New Zealand Cross.

In a memorial service held at Linton Military Camp on Saturday by the 1st Battalion, Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment (RNZIR), Stewart’s name was added to the battalion’s theatrette to honour him and a plaque was unveiled with family and servicemen in attendance.

The second honour Isherwood, who has been working on the project with Bob Davies, wants is Stewart’s bravery award to be upgraded to the highest honour.

The New Zealand Cross is for acts of great bravery in situations of extreme danger, which he believes Stewart met.

“He had no experience at all in alpine conditions, no experience above the snowline,” Isherwood tells Stuff. He was in a lethal environment which I consider no different to active combat.”

Two of the survivors of the tragedy Sonny Tavake, front right, and Brendon Burchell at Stewart’s memorial service.

Stewart’s commanding officer abandoned them, Isherwood says.

The senior instructor left the group to raise the alarm, but the remaining instructor zipped himself up in his sleeping bag and took no part in proceedings, so Stewart and Tavake took over the leadership.

“I have always felt a moral obligation,” Isherwood says. “We cocked up big time as an organisation, putting them in a lethal environment without the proper wherewithal to survive, and they shouldn't have.”

He says the soldiers weren’t properly led and were on the mountain through no fault of their own.

David Stewart died after being stuck in bad weather on Mt Ruapehu in 1990.

So to have the memorial in honour of Stewart is “fantastic”.

“That will be a permanent memorial. Every officer and soldier in that battalion, 1 RNZIR, will all be aware of it, and it will be there forever.”

Tavake, who left the army in 1995, says he wants Stewart’s bravery award to be upgraded for him and his whānau.

“At the end of the day I was up there with David and I know what he did and the sacrifice, body-on-the-line type of thing, up there. It’s because of that, he’s not here and I am.”

Tavake says every time he attends events relating to the tragedy it takes away a strip of what happened and replaces it with a strip of healing.

Stewart and Tavake’s actions were outlined in a 1998 letter by survivor Lance Corporal Barry Culloty, who is now living on the Gold Coast.

Culloty says after the weather turned, the group had been trying to reach the Dome Shelter hut.

With people coming down with hypothermia, they dug a snow trench, fighting the strong winds and battling to communicate. The group were told to get out their sleeping bags.

Stewart and Tavake gathered some soldiers into a group and went searching through the snow for packs to find sleeping bags.

Sonny Tavake with his frostbitten hands wrapped in bandages.

Each time they found a sleeping bag they brought it back for someone and left themselves until last.

Culloty collapsed, but Stewart dragged him into a sleeping bag, then Stewart and Tavake later cleared snow and ice from Culloty’s chest that was restricting his breathing.

A soldier’s bag had blown away, so Culloty shared his bag with him. A young private lost his bag in the snow so asked the trio if he could share one of their bags.

Eventually Stewart, who was sharing his bag with Tavake, offered to share. But the bag blew away leaving three of them with no shelter.

The soldier who had sought shelter later died, as did the soldier sheltering by Culloty.

Eventually the weather lessened slightly, and the remaining group was rescued and brought to Dome Shelter.

Sonny Tavake, front, and Rayner Berger recover at the army camp hospital at Waiouru in 1990.

Culloty was shocked that only five had survived and that Stewart had died given his “physical and moral strength, leadership and selflessness”.

“I have no doubt in my mind that if he had chosen to take care of himself he would be here today,” Culloty wrote in his letter.

“He chose instead to put others before himself and to risk time and again his own survival to help those unable to help themselves.

“All this in an extreme environment where we were novices left to our own devices. I would not be here but for his actions. That was the man he was.”

At the end of the month Isherwood is meeting with defence minister Peeni Henare to discuss upgrading the medal, where Isherwood hopes to convince him the matter warranted further action.

“The [award Stewart has] got, and not to belittle anyone who has the New Zealand Bravery Award, but it's the lowest possible award for bravery you can get.

“If you read the criteria for that and the criteria for the New Zealand Cross, you can see no reason why he shouldn't get it. He meets all of it.”

Isherwood hopes the Chief of Defence Air Marshal Kevin Short will listen.

“These are your people we're talking about, Stewart and his group. Let’s not continue to obstruct, which has plagued this case for 32 years, no more staff advice.

“The facts are clear and detailed. Let's show some leadership on this, endorse the upgrade.”

Stewart’s mother Kathleen Stewart says she is leaving the decision up to the army, but she can see Stewart’s friends from the army want it.

She says the memorial and the bravery award aren’t just for Stewart, but everyone he served with.

“All those that are living, his comrades. To me they are all my sons. I know David is one of those, he fought to the end for his brothers.”

When she passes Mt Ruapehu she pays respect to the maunga for giving her son back, when other families who lost people on the mountain haven’t.

Stewart, who is of Ngāti Maru, Ngāti Awa and Tuhoe descent, is buried at the Whakatāne RSA Cemetery. He was 23.

Privates Brett Barker, Jeffrey Boult, Mark Madigan, Stuart McAlpine, Jason Menhennet and Able Rating Jeffrey Boult also died on the mountain.