Teenagers’ actions praised

Press, 3 December 1987, Page 9

Teenagers’ actions praised

The police have praised the actions of two teen-agers after a woman was injured during a Kingslea School outing at Little River this week.

A group of children and several staff were on a day tramp on the Mt Herbert walkway on Monday when part of the group, tiring of the walk, decided to take short cut down the hill. As the group started to descend it was caught in a downpour and the staff member with the children slipped and thought she had broken

her leg. Part of the group left to get help and one boy, aged 14, ran to the nearest farmhouse. He alerted the farmer, Mr Bill Lewthwaite, and then led a rescue party up the hill to the injured woman. Mr Lewthwaite said the boy had a job making it back to the top of the hill. “Often in those kinds of conditions it can be hard to find your way back to someone, but even though he was stretched to the limit he managed it,” he said.

Meanwhile a girl, aged 14, had stayed with and administered first aid to the woman. “They were both very wet and cold by the time we made it back up

to the ridge,” Mr Lewthwaite said. It took about an hour to carry the woman down the hill and she was later treated for a snapped tendon and a severe ankle strain. Senior-Sergeant Robin Loader of the Lyttelton police said the two teenagers had acted responsibly in difficult conditions.