'Helping a mate' deserves accolades

Sam Evans, with his police appreciation award,  pictured  yesterday with Eva Gregory-Hunt, the...
Sam Evans, with his police appreciation award, pictured yesterday with Eva Gregory-Hunt, the mother of his best friend, Hamish Gregory-Hunt, whom he helped rescue in October. Photo by David Bruce.
Sam Evans is your typical reluctant hero.

But yesterday, the St Kevin's College pupil could not dodge recognition for the part he played in October rescuing, despite his own injuries, best friend, Hamish Gregory-Hunt, who was pinned down by a rock which fell on him.

Sam (now 17) was presented with a New Zealand Police Certificate of Appreciation, supported by his family, Hamish's mother Eva and some of those also involved in the rescue in the Five Forks area after he sounded the alarm.

Appearing slightly embarrassed by the accolades, he tried to play down the role he took.

But he did not get away with that. Others - including St John officer Lindsay Kyles, who was called to the rescue, Police Southern District commander Superintendent Andrew Coster, who made the presentaton, Waitaki Mayor Gary Kircher and Mrs Gregory-Hunt - told it the way it was and praised him for his actions.

Hamish was ''gutted not to be here'' to see his ''really good mate'' recognised for his rescue, Mrs Gregory-Hunt said.

When the media converged on Sam for an interview yesterday, one of his first comments was: ''I never really expected anything like this . . . any recognition for helping a mate who would have done the same for me.''

It went far beyond that, with Sam helping his mate, then St John officers and rescuers for more than two hours, oblivious to his bare feet, a broken wrist and bad laceration on his back.

He only realised when having a shower about 11.30pm that he, too, had been injured, was taken to hospital, treated and discharged.

Sam and Hamish were out on Sam's parents' farm exploring the Raupo Creek on October 26.

They were doing some rock climbing on what was virtually a cliff in a deep, tight gully about 7pm when they came to a cave-like depression in the face.

''We heard a big noise, then a boulder came down,'' Sam said - the ''boulder'' was about 2.5m long, 600 to 700mm wide and 400 to 500mm deep.

He did not know what had caused the boulder to fall.

''We had nowhere to go to dodge it - we were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.''

It caught Sam on the side, breaking his wrist and pushing his back hard against the cliff, but landed on Hamish, crushing him.

''Fuelled by adrenaline'', Sam said he managed to ''lift and jiggle'' the rock off his friend.

Supporting his friend, they managed to move down and away from the cliff, in to the creek about 10m, before Hamish, who had a dislocated hip, could go no further because of the pain.

They found a rock where Hamish could lie surrounded by water in the middle of the creek away from danger of any more rockfalls.

Barefoot, Sam climbed the cliff, ran to a four-wheel motorbike and went back to his parents Susan and Peter Evans for help.

An ambulance was called, then they went back to help Hamish.

When the ambulance arrived at the cliff, Sam was waiting for them.

Mr Kyles asked where Hamish was and Sam pointed down.

''I couldn't see him [Hamish] because he was under the tops of the trees below us - that's how high the cliff was,'' he said.

Sam guided them safely down to where Hamish was lying surrounded by deep water.

''He had done an awesome job getting Hamish somewhere safe. I don't know how he did it,'' Mr Kyles said.

Sam made several more trips up 20m to 25m of the cliff and another 50m across a steep paddock to get equipment from the ambulance officers, while they tended to Hamish, who was being supported, because the water was waist-height and deeper, by Mrs Evans and another rescuer, Gareth Isbister.

Due to the terrain, the Otago Regional Rescue Helicopter was called to winch Hamish out, which was a major task because the water was deep where the only gap in trees was.

david.bruce@odt.co.nz

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