Islanders aid ill boy

Press, 2 October 1979, Page 6

Islanders aid ill boy

A Chatham Islands boy suffering from pneumonia is in a satisfactory condition in the Christchurch Hospital after a mercy flight that almost did not get off the ground. Darcy Clarke, aged nine, was brought to ChristAir Charter Cessna Titan church seriously ill in an on Sunday. Air Charter had to borrow fuel from other tanks at Christchurch Airport when it found that two of the bigger tanks had run dry because of the petrol tanker drivers’ strike.

The aircraft was flown by Captain Paul Nichols with Mr K. Wakeman, his co-pilot, and a nurse. Mr Wakeham said last evening that what had impressed him about the flight was the “togetherness” of the Chatham Islands people. The aircraft had arrived about twilight on the Chathams, and about 12 people had parked their vehicles around the airstrip with their headlights on to mark it out. The plane had no difficulty landing and, after

about half an hour, took off with the bey, his mother, and a doctor. Although the aircraft had flown out at 6500 metres the doctor asked that it fly as low as possible back to Christchurch because of the boy’s breathing problems. Mr Wakeman said the plane flew back below 1600 metres, and the boy spent most of the journey asleep because of the engine’s vibrations. An ambulance was waiting at Christchurch Airport to take the boy to hospital.