Helicopters To Help In Otago

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31729, 12 July 1968, Page 12

Helicopters To Help In Otago

Two Royal New Zealand Air Force Iroquois helicopters will pass through Wigram today on their way to help' with stock evacuation and fodder drops in the snowbound Queenstown area. From the Battlefield Support Squadron at Hobsonville, the helicopters spent last night at Ohakea airfield and will reach Wigram about midmorning. They are expected at Queenstown about 1 pjn. They will work within a 40mile radius of Queenstown. A Press Association message says that a meeting of runholders in the area was held at Queenstown last night to decide what action was

necessary to rescue stock and to decide which runs should take priority. Further snowfalls throughout Central Otago and the lakes district has made the saving of stock stranded in the snow very difficult. Wanaka has 2in of snow, Cromwell and Alexandra 3in; and in the Luggate, Hawea Flat area, from 3in to Sin of snow.

Queenstown had a fall of 4in of snow in the early evening. "This has been a serious setback,” Mr B. J. Booth, livestock instructor for the Agriculture Department at Queenstown said today.

“Some farmers are now wondering whether the effort to save stock is worth while, especially with more snow predicted.” The Queenstown schools have been open for those who could get there. Since June 28

Snow began falling on June 28 throughout Central Otago and round the lakes. There is no shortage of feed—as the summer provided a good hay harvest—but the difficulty has been to get the stock to the feed. Almost every farm in the district reports stock losses. Sheep have frozen to death or smothered and some of the hoggets have starved to death. Queenstown could become cut off from the outside world if the snow continues; residents have been stocking up on food and firewood. A number of businesses have closed down because of frozen pipes and taps.