Lake Hawea man John Taylor's life saving contributions recognised
Friday, 12 May 2017
Wanaka search and rescue volunteer John Taylor has received a certificate of recognition from New Zealand LandSAR for his commitment to volunteer training and the organisation over 35 years.
Taylor signed up to help lost trampers and climbers in 1982 and still loves helping.
He also serves Lake Hawea's marine rescue group and until 2009 was a volunteer fire firefighter.
Taylor has held numerous senior operational roles with local, regional and Southern LandSAR groups, including Wanaka chairman from 2007-2010.
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Taylor has lived in the Upper Clutha district all his life and sold his Wanaka business, Taylors Mowers and Chainsaws, to retire in 2010.
He is a key police contact and has been the Wanaka group's training officer for five years.
He received his certificate in Parliament on May 10.
'I was a little bit nervous. I have never been to Parliament before nor the Beehive, ever,' he said.
Also acknowledged at the national LandSAR awards were Wanaka Alpine Cliff Rescue team member Lionel Clay, Aspiring Helicopters pilot James Ford, and Otago Rescue Helicopter pilot Graeme Gale of Dunedin, for their rescue of two seriously injured climbers from Mt Aspiring in December 2016.
Taylor said his fellow volunteers' efforts emphasised 'the incredible cooperation, not only in our group but the helicopters all combining to pull off something special'.
When Taylor started, such technical rescues were unheard of.
'I can't remember big searches back then, but I do remember the recoveries people like [climbing guide] Geoff Wayatt, [conservation worker] Stu Thorne and [farmer] Allan Gillespie were doing - both bodies and live people,' he said.
Hearing his mates' stories inspired him.
'You know what Wanaka was like then. It wasn't that big. Allan and I had done a lot of tramping since the early 1970s – it was just friends and acquaintances. Where they went, you went. I followed them,' he said.
By the mid to late 1990s, technical search and rescue training had become very important.
'We get a lot of people wanting to join the group. It is a large organisation and we have good numbers. We do try to take on anyone who has specialist skills we can use,' Taylor said.
It had been easy to stay with Wanaka LandSAR because the people were 'such good folk', he said.
Two events stick out most in his mind: the recovery of the late helicopter pilot Morgan Saxton from Lake Wanaka in 2008, and the discovery of the remains of English tramper Dr Derek Hawkins in the Siberia Valley, 20 months after he went missing in 2007.
Taylor said the processes involved in both cases were interesting. It was also satisfying to solve a mystery.
He primarily wanted save lives but it was important to return missing people to their loved ones, he said.