Children found living in pipes

Press, 20 November 1981, Page 21

Children found living in pipes

PA Auckland A group of children has been found living in the concrete pipes of an Auckland motorway site, existing on tins of pet food and dog biscuits. Some have been living in the concrete air ventilation pipes under the Karangahape Road over-ramp since April, scavenging for food at night and roaming the streets by day. ! Twenty children, aged between 12 and 16, were flushed from their hideout by a Ministry of Works maintenance crew just before noon on November 16. They had apparently, overslept. Their “lookout” ran away when approached. Most bf the children also ran away. Four of six children now being cared for in a private home gave false names and were later discovered to be wanted by the police on a variety of warrants. One couple who have been helping the children are Mr and Mrs Shane Hura. Mr Hura, who was working with a group who found the children, said yesterday: “It is a wonder they are still alive.” Mr Hura said he was

called to the scene soon after workmen found the children huddled in the pipe. They had been sleeping on old car seats, newspapers, and rags. “I told them that it was my duty to notify the police,” said Mr Hura. “They put on a ‘fight or die’ look, so I changed my approach and said that I would like to help them provided they walked out peacefully. “I told them I would take them to my home provided they could trust me . . . they were bathed and fed, and then they slept for the rest of the day.” Mr Hura said the children were in an advanced state of malnutrition and coughed continuously, probably as a result of the dust and grit in the ventilation ducts. One child had been living like a nomad since being discharged from hospital. The children told Mr and Mrs Hura that since leaving their parents they had lived on tins of pet food, dog biscuits, and “anything else they could get their hands on.” On some nights, they had shared their accommodation with old people who had spent the day in city hotels. Mr Hura said it took some time to win the children’s confidence, but they had since responded well to a “little love and care.” Mr Hura is the father of three children. “We have clothed them as best we can,” he said. “They have been eating mince and vegetable soup and their strength and colour have improved. “But they are fearful of their parents. They said they left home because they were always gettings hidings, and they are scared that if they return home they will get more of the same thing.” Mr Hura said it was hoped to find accommodation and outdoor work for the children.