Doc's man in Makarora, Chris Wilson, is pleased with a
newly built workshop depot which replaces the building and
equipment destroyed in a fire last July (right). Photo by
Matthew Haggart.
Makarora's Department of Conservation staff have spent
the past week moving into a new workshop depot, built on the
site of the previous building, which was gutted by fire last
July.
Doc's Makarora field supervisor, Chris Wilson, who is also
fire chief for the remote village, remembers being called out
in the middle of a snowy winter night to fight a fire at his
own emergency centre.
Moving into the new premises has been a welcome moment for Mr
Wilson, who, alongside Makarora's other Doc staff, have
worked out of a garage shed during the past nine months.
"Its a pretty important [facility] for us to have here," he
said of the new depot.
"Everything revolves around the base and workshop.
"It's a central departure point for any Doc staff working in
the area.
"With the winter months coming on, it's also where we do a
lot of our maintenance and repair work," he said.
Some new plant and equipment had also been bought for the new
shed, although it would be "a few years yet" before the depot
was outfitted "the way it was".
"A lot of our equipment was custom-made for specific jobs in
the field.
"We'll get there though. Things will be bigger and better."
The new building has been "future-proofed" to allow for new
radio technology to be installed and also outfitted with
improved hoists, insulation, and machinery, Mr Wilson said.
A potbelly stove - identified by a fire inspector as the
cause of the July blaze - has also been replaced with a
modern log-burner.
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