Helicopters deliver food

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33063, 2 November 1972, Page 2

Helicopters deliver food

(N.Z.P.A. Staff Correspondent)

NANDI, Nov. 1.

. A Royal New Zealand Air Force Iroquois helicopter today began flying relief supplies to thousands of Fijian villagers left homeless and short of food by Hurricane Bebe.

The helicopter, flown by Wing Commander G. Darby, took the New Zealand Red Cross relief co-ordinator, Mr R. McKerrow, and two Fijian police officers over some of the worst-hit areas of the Ba district, in northwestern Viti Levu.

It landed at Va Leka, near Rakiraki, to distribute bags of milk powder given by the New Zealand Dairy Board, and clothing collected by the Hamilton Lions’ Club.

The first flight today was primarily to let the helicopter crew select landing places and make arrangements with the Fijian officials, who will distribute the supplies. The helicopter arrived back at Nandi after its first trip just as the United States Air Force Starlifter transport was touching down, bringing 55,000 pounds of relief supplies from the New Zealand Red Cross. These included tinned foods, milk powder, clothing, roofing iron, and fishing gear. An R.N.ZA.F. Hercules is due later, carrying more relief supplies from Auckland. New Zealand has sent two Iroquois helicopters and a support team of 34 to help

with the relief work. They are expected to be here about two weeks. RED CROSS AID The International Red Cross would fly 2000 Japanese Red Cross blankets and 40 cases of Canadian Red Cross children’s clothing worth $lO,OOO to Fiji from its disaster relief warehouse in Singapore, the secretarygeneral of the New Zealand Red Cross (Commander M. C. Ashdown) said in Auckland today. COMPANY’S GIFT The Island trading company, the Bums Philp South Sea Company, had given $20,000 to help repair the damage in Fiji, the company’s general manager (Mr P. Best) announced in Sydney today. Mr Best said the donation had been given to the Prime Minister of Fiji. The company is one of the oldest in Fiji, having been trading there for 52 years.