Rochelle Wilson shows where a huge wattle tree hit her
house yesterday, demolishing much of the roof along its
western side. Photos by Stephen Jaquiery.
Esme Knox's quick thinking probably saved her sister's
life yesterday.
After hearing cracking sounds she thought were branches
breaking, Esme (12), persuaded her 8-year-old sister Lydia to
leave the garden of their Malvern St home where the two were
playing beneath a wattle tree.
Moments later, a wind gust broke the enormous tree off at its
base, sending it crashing on to the area where the girls had
been and through the roof of their house.
A trampoline and outdoor play kitchen area were flattened,
and relieved mother Rochelle Wilson knows her daughters could
have been killed.
"It's unbelievable the damage the tree has done."
Esme had tried to get her sister to move away from the tree,
Ms Wilson said. When Lydia said she did not want to, Esme
told her she would "play cakes with her inside". That was
enough to get Lydia out of the tree's path.
The wattle tree which fell on to the Wilson-Knox family
home yesterday. The children's play area and trampoline are
under the tree.
Ms Wilson, who was sitting in the lounge when the tree
fell about 4.30pm, said it was fortunate her son Darcy Knox
(15) was not at home.
"His basketball hoop is out there and he is usually out
there, too."
Ms Wilson and her partner, Ken Knox, the children's father,
have lived in the house for about two and a-half years.
Ms Wilson said the previous owners had told her they tried to
get permission to fell the tree because large branches had
fallen from it, but a neighbour objected to their resource
consent application.
"The neighbour thought the tree added beauty to the
neighbourhood when it was in flower. Look at it now."
The house was badly damaged along its entire western side.
Both the wall and ceiling of Ms Wilson and Mr Knox's bedroom
was caved in, while branches also knocked a hole in the
dining room ceiling.
Neighbours rallied to cut tree limbs off the roof and help
shore up the bedroom. Willowbank firefighters also attended.
Ms Wilson and her children will stay with relatives until the
damage is assessed.
Mr Knox, an electrician, is working in Papua New Guinea in a
gold mine but Ms Wilson rang him soon after the incident and
emailed him photographs.
Ms Wilson said her daughters were "very upset" by their close
call, but she was more philosophical once she found her
daughters were safe.
"What's done is done. Insurance will hopefully take care of
it."
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