Helicopters arrive at the Oamaru waterfront. Photo by Hamish MacLean.
John Oakes.
Helicopters transported some people to the Oamaru waterfront yesterday for the funeral for North Otago helicopter pilot John Oakes.
Mr Oakes, who had cancer, died on Saturday, aged 58.
He was widely respected in both the North Otago community and wider aviation industry and hundreds of people attended his funeral.
Last year, he received a Royal Humane Society silver medal, recognising his bravery in going to the aid of three people seriously injured in a helicopter crash in the Antarctic in 2013.
An obituary will follow.
