Interviewed yesterday, Otago Regional Rescue Helicopter flight paramedic Craig Didham preferred to pay tribute to the others involved in the rescue on Little Mt Peel/Huatekerekere in June last year, along with the strength of character of the woman as she was carried down the steep and slippery trail in deteriorating weather with a broken leg.
"It was humbling ... the rescue was a really great example of different agencies working together."
Mr Didham received a Certificate of Achievement for Operational Activity, jointly awarded to Land Search and Rescue (SAR) Methven, Otago Regional Rescue Helicopter and the South Canterbury police SAR Squad, at the NZSAR Council Awards at Parliament on Wednesday night.
The citation showed the scale of the 11-hour rescue and the valiant efforts of Mr Didham, pilot Clayton Girven and others.
The rescue helicopter was deployed to the remote area on the edge of the Canterbury plains after a woman slipped and broke her lower leg, about 1100m up the track, the citation said.
Low cloud and worsening winter weather made a recovery by air near impossible, but Mr Girven managed to manoeuvre the helicopter close enough to offload his colleague so he could begin medical care and also delivered three members of the police search and rescue team within 500m of the tramper.
"Paramedic Craig stabilised the tramper's leg injury and, with the assistance of the police search and rescue team, began the arduous task of stretcher-carrying her down the hill.
"It was very cold and the risk of hypothermia setting in was high."
He administered pain relief throughout the almost 4km trek, which was completed without incident down a dark, steep and slippery track.
Mr Didham said yesterday he was impressed with the woman's resilience.
"I really felt for the lady we were carrying, because it must have been a horrible ordeal for her.
"She was amazing, she showed amazing strength of character."
Methven and Timaru LandSAR members headed up the hill to also support the rescue.
The citation spoke highly of all involved.
"Without the expert piloting skills and medical capability of the Otago Rescue Helicopter team, combined with the efforts of the land teams, this rescue would have been significantly longer and more painful for the injured tramper."
The 36-year-old Mr Didham said he felt privileged to have spoken to the woman after the rescue. She was recovering well.
"A lot of the time we do think about the people we attend to, but we don't get a chance to follow up or to find out how they got on, so it's really nice when you get a chance to make sure the person's OK.
"We tend to see them for a short time and it's all over.
"But that was a bit of a longer one."
