Greetings to all from the National Committee. Well another AGM has passed and after a very successful twelve months we now move into the new financial year with a couple of changes to the Committee. Roger Barrowclough after a sterling effort setting up the new structure of NZLSAR has decided to step down from the Chairman’s role but continue on as the Region 5 Otago Southland Representative.

Having taken up the challenge of the Chairman’s role I am grateful to see Roger stay on as Regional Representative as his experience and guidance is a valuable asset we cannot afford to lose. I would like to reflect further on Roger’s contribution but John Tristram has beaten me to the draw and you will see his comments elsewhere in this Newsletter.

Mike Sheridan is the other change as he takes over as the Region 4 Representative following Russell Tucker’s resignation earlier this year. We welcome Mike to the team and look forward to his active participation. Having an extra person in Wellington will be useful to assist with some of the workload that often occurs due to the centralised location of the Wellington area.

The next twelve months look promising as we have a commitment for funding from the Police at the same level as last year. Budgets have been finalised and the training allocation is as mentioned elsewhere in this Newsletter. The allocations to Regions will include a performance requirement to ensure the money is spent wisely and on time.

Performance is an important feature of our operation in the new structure. It is clear from the feedback we have received from our annual performance report that our fund provider is looking closely at our annual surplus. It can be key indicator of our ability to complete tasks and ensure we can justify our grant for the following year. Hence our programmes must be set in place early and completed before the end of the financial year.

The Committees programme for this year is especially busy with all the Committee members and Sub committees fully committed. Training takes the lions share of the workload with Roscoe and Barry continuing with the Advisers training programme and major exercises planned for the Specialist and Underground Teams.

It is evident looking around the country that some areas are moving ahead in leaps and bounds and are upskilling their field teams in a range of competences. Trying to analyse what the driving force is that produces these results is not easy in a volunteer organisation. From my observation it appears that the factors that make a difference are people keeping themselves in contact with the organisation and making themselves known and available.

The Advisers Standards Workshops and courses run by Emergency Management Limited all seem to generate a much better understanding of where NZLSAR is heading and something that members can identify with. I believe some people may be holding back on these courses thinking it is not for them. However it is clear from those who have attended that they are much more comfortable having been involved rather than sitting back and wondering what it is about. It really is a case of the more you put in the more you get out, so give it a go.

Graham Thorp
NZLSAR Chairman
Region 3 Representative

The AGM was held on Saturday 24 August in between sessions of the Committee meeting. It was a quiet affair which probably reflected the contentment of the "owners" in the running of the organisation.

An Annual Report, Financial Statement and a Performance Assessment Report were tabled and approved. These documents have been circulated to the Police SAR Coordinators, Regional Committees and to NZLSAR and Committee members. A copy is available upon request to the NFO.

Three Regional Representatives have made written reports back to their Regions and forwarded copies to me. The following is a "cut and paste" distillation of their accounts.

A significant issue was the change of Chairman for NZLSAR. Roger Barrowclough who had led the team through the restructuring from the old FMC SAR Sub Committee to the new NZLSAR organisation as we now know it, decided, for personal reasons, to stand down as Chairman but remain on the Committee as the Region 5 Otago Southland Representative for the time being.

Roger’s knowledge, experience and guidance as Chairman would be a big loss to the committee, however it is expected that he will not drop out of the SAR scene completely and we are sure he will be around to provide the guidance we may need for a long time to come.

As a result of this change the Region 3 Representative, Graham Thorp became the democratically elected successor.

His position as Region 3 Representative should not be affected as it is seen as important that the Chairman of NZLSAR has the support of the members at District and Regional levels. However he will probably relinquish the Chairmanship of the Communications Sub-Committee. A successor will be selected by the Committee and will need to fit the criteria set out under the constitution. Not much thought has gone into the nomination of this person as Roger’s decision to step down only occurred in the week before the meeting and most of that time has been spent assessing the effects of that change.

While on Committee membership changes, the Region 4 Representative Russell Tucker resigned at the March meeting and has been replaced by Mike Sheridan. Mike is a Wellington Adviser and ex member of the Victoria University Tramping Club.

The Annual Report for the AGM was presented and passed by the meeting. Copies of the report have been sent to Regions and Districts and should be available for perusal as required. John Tristram has extra copies available if required.

The main item of interest was a request for membership of NZLSAR by NZART/AREC. The meeting was attended by Brian Purdie the new Director of AREC and Wayne Gaudin his 2IC (Both from Region 3). Various options for membership had been discussed prior to the meeting and approval was given for AREC to be accepted as an Associate Member of NZLSAR. This means that AREC will have a right to attend AGM’s in an official capacity.

AREC’s normal access to the Committee and NZLSAR issues is via its position (which it holds as of right) on the Communications Sub-Committee so any input from AREC will normally come via that forum.

A large part of the meeting was directed towards funding and budget allocations. It appears that the funding from the Police has been accepted at the same level as last year at $103,000. This means that we have funds to continue our normal operations but there won’t be sufficient funds to undertake the full training programme that was envisaged.

In determining the allocation of funds for training there are several issues to consider, ie:

• A minimum level of training in SAR is required for all people undertaking SAR work. The numbers requiring this type of training is very high but the cost of training can be passed on locally by other experienced personnel and should not affect the level of grants from the National Committee.

• Upskilling the bulk of SAR personnel in courses such as Track & Clue Awareness (TCA) will take time to achieve and will have a significant cost both nationally and at a District and Regional level if it is done properly.

• Regional courses/seminars for Advisers, Search Controllers and AREC are considered good value, cost effective and important to maintaining the team effort throughout the region. Funds spent on these courses must be balanced against other training for search team members.

• Funds for specialist courses generally come from the National Committee. They are high in cost and cover small numbers of people. These courses must be run to keep specialist groups operational and safe. The challenge is the frequency of the training.

This year the National committee will be providing for both specialist and general courses. The distribution of funds that remain for training after expenses and specialist courses have been allowed for, will be spread equally to all 6 regions. Note: a spread based on the number of searches was discussed but it was considered that the amount that each Region would get is relatively small and it would not be worthwhile upsetting the balance.

Each can expect funding for at least 1 and possibly 2 courses of the TCA type. How they split the money is up to them. Using this funding for "seeding" it may be possible to run a number of approved courses if the Districts and Local Committees do a bit of fundraising. This will undoubtably be best coordinated through a Region Committee meeting.

The provision of the money from the National Committee will be subject to a performance requirement to ensure the money is spent effectively and before March next year. Money not spent by March will be reallocated at the March National Committee Meeting.

It was noted at the meeting that there are several different categories for which the Hillary Commission will provide grants to. These are available to the Regional level but the trick is to get the application placed in the correct bucket. Apparently the applicant has to provide half the funds for the project so in theory a successful application would result in us doubling our money and getting twice the number of courses.

Each National Committee meeting one or two requests come through for a SAR Award and the meeting had pleasure in approving this Award to Don Major, Ken Hayhurst and Don McKay. Currently the AREC are receiving a high proportion of the awards which suggests that other search personnel who deserve recognition may be missing out. Remember the rules for the Award require that it be initiated from District level so it is up to the District reps to identify anyone who is deserving of the award and get them through to the Committee with a full citation detailing the reasons for the award.

This report was extensive and technical. Of note was the VHF Strategy with its call for a migration to the ES Band. This is going to mean in time that much of the amateur equipment will become redundant. To enable compatibility on occasions of inter District use, the Subcommittee has produced a VHF Radio Specification and a list of preferred types. This is to be further circulated as a draft and if there are no adverse comment will be available to give advise on the preferred brands. It is also suggested that before any purchase is made you contact the NFO. It may be possible to combine a number of Districts orders and so negotiate a better price. .

Remember the "good old days" when a real rescue took not hours but on a numerous occasions, days of stretcher carrying. Two long poles, two shorter cross ties and a canvas sheet all held together with yards of lashings made up this contraption which often weighed far more than the patient. With up to sixteen people to carry it, relief carry teams were a necessity and life was a bit of a struggle. None of this fly in, pick up the patient and fly out with the whole affair likely to be over in minutes and at worst a few hours. While it is not entirely PC to say such things, rescues in those times were for the "real men".

But those day can come back to haunt us as a group of rescuers in the Hawkes Bay recently found out. The situation was a sick person in a hut, mist and murk down almost to ankle level, a very high wind and no hope for a chopper. As an extra challenge the route out was up a steep rather poor and boggy track for nearly 2000 feet, the stretcher was a Ferno Washington and there was only fifteen or so carriers. Mentioning the stretcher carriers the operation occurred over the Easter weekend and many of the "first call" people were away on trips and to top it all the patient weighed fifteen stone! This was character building stuff!!!.

Although it took just over three hours to have him to the safety of the road end, the troops were starting to get a bit bent. Those who had carried on both the left and right side of the stretcher were obvious. They had adopted a near anthropoid crouch and with elongated arms, their knuckles were dragging on the ground. All in the day of a SAR volunteer but thank goodness for helicopters.

The work, much of it in the training area and outlined in the Business Plan for the 96/97 financial year has had to be drastically amended. This was because the Police grant of $103,00 was considerably less that the amount needed to achieve the goals and do the work outlined in the Plan. The Committee agreed that funding for the following be approved.

• Conduct an underground exercise from surplus 95/96 funds

• Hold four Advisers Standards Workshops

• Hold a further pilot Risk Management (SAR) Course from surplus 95/96 funds

• Hold two pilot Field Controllers Standards Workshops

As well it was agreed an amount up to $4,000 per Region be made available as "contestable funds" for approved Courses, or Seminars.

1. A subsidy for a venue, speakers etc for Region senior SAR personnel Seminars.
2. Track and Clue Awareness Courses.
3. Managing Search Operation Courses for Advisers and Field Controllers.
4. Managing Search Operations for Team Leaders.
5. Search Method Courses.

• Application for these "contestable funds" is to be made to the NFO giving date of event, venue and approximate number of attendees and any money being put in by the organisers.

• A short written note outlining the success or otherwise of the event is to be forwarded to the NFO immediately after the event

• A review of the "contestable funds" will be made after the 31 March 1997 and any unallocated money will be reassigned

With Roger stepping down as Chairman of NZLSAR it gives me great pleasure to say just a few words of my appreciation for his contribution to land search and rescue. One of the real problems in writing about people involved in land SAR is the lack of any real record of when they became involved and the roles they have covered. In writing a few words about Roger I have found his past efforts as a SAR volunteer not easy to research or be able to pinpoint with any accuracy when they occurred so please bear with me if some of his many deeds are unmentioned and the dates should be "circa".

Roger tells me he went on his first search as a team member way back in the dim dark ages of the late 1950’s and the only thing he can remember about it apart from finding the missing person was getting an acute bout of sunburn. He became an FMC Land SAR Adviser in 1963/64. Over the years of being an Adviser in the Dunedin District, he has expended many hours at the local level, advising the Police, ensuring training for the local SAR volunteers took place, attending meetings and providing with the other Advisers, the good management of the volunteer component of land SAR in the District.

He became a member of the FMC SAR Sub committee about 1970/71 and provided a "wise voice from the south" until that Subcommittee went out of existence. In 1992, at the request of the NZ Police, Roger was instrumental in surveying the senior members of Land SAR in the country as to the desirability of creating a new stand alone body to consider the needs of the volunteers. He drafted and completed the new organisation’s constitution and did the legal work necessary to obtain both incorporation and charitable status with the IRD. This new organisation, which held its first meeting in November 1994, is New Zealand Land Search and Rescue Incorporated.

The positions he currently holds or has held with NZLSAR include:

• District Committee Representative.
• Region Five - Otago and Southland Committee Chairman
• Region Five - Otago and Southland Representative to the National Committee
• National Committee Chairman November 1994 to August 1996

Roger was awarded a MBE in 1985 for his volunteer work for the community.

Roger was also very active with the Federated Mountain Clubs and some of the roles he filled there include:

Conservation and Environment - 1970-76

Executive Committee - 1970-76

President - 1976-77

Accident - 1971-75

Club affiliation and membership - 1973

FMC SAR Subcommittee - 1971 to 1994

His seventeen years or so of activities on the Mt Aspiring National Park Board, which later became the Otago National Parks and Reserves Board, are equally meritorious. He was Chairman of the later Board for its nine years of existence.

At a personal level, Roger as the NZLSAR Chairman was my boss. I would like to thank him most sincerely for his ability to keep me calm when my job was getting all a bit much and I was getting somewhat ragged around the edges. Except for the extremely long phone calls and his steam driven uncommunicative answer-phone he was an excellent and supportive employer, and I thank you for that Roger. I wish you, Ann and Amy all the very best for the future.

In late April this year the Nelson Police District took advantage of the subsidy provided by NZLSAR and facilitated a Track and Clue Awareness course by Emergency Management Limited. The skills learnt that weekend were further honed on their SAREX a few weeks later and toward the end of May they were put into good use.

The situation was that at 10am two women (mother and daughter) aged 50 and 30 with a small dog set out from their home at Top House for a walk to Beeby’s Knob trig station in the Richmond Range Forest Park. This walk was to have taken about four hours.

At 7pm DoC St Arnaud advised the Murchison Police the pair had been reported overdue by the husband/father. DoC had made initial checks of the track the pair had taken and this revealed they had gone further than planned, past the trig and on to Beeby’s Hut. The hut book had been signed by the two and their footprints (and those of the dog) were clearly visible in the snow. DoC staff followed the footprints for 2 km’s along the ridge until they seemed to drop into the bush below. DoC staff reported this back to the Murchison Police and Russell Tucker, a Nelson Adviser, was called.

The assessment showed there were grave fears for the women’s safety. Each had a small day pack with only a small amount of food. They were dressed in only light clothing (sneakers, track pants, sweat-shirts and light wind-breakers) They were not familiar with the area nor were they equipped for the dark or snow conditions. The altitude of the ridge they had travelled along was around the 1300 to 1400 metres and the temperature was several degrees below freezing.

Although the weather was fine and clear with no change forecast, SAR Adviser Tucker decided a night search should be mounted. The pair were hopefully stationary for the night and the area was perfect for implementing a three prong search. This would be

• The use of Barry Bird, a Nelson Police dog handler and his dog
• The use of Archie Storm a trained Track and Clue Awareness person to work with the dog.
• Teams to conduct Sound Sweep searches in probable areas.

Russell instructions were specific. Let the dog and tracking awareness team have a go to first establish the direction of travel the women had taken. That would give the most likely "Probabilities of Area" for the Sound Sweeps to search

Barry, his dog and Archie Storm the trained tracking awareness person were driven by 4 wheel drive to where the DoC staff had followed the missing party’s footprints to. It was now 1. 30am the following morning.

Archie followed the tracks locating odd marks in the snow, but there were long stretches that were without snow. As Archie lost the trail or had problems finding it, the dog relocated it by scent and refocussed their direction. Working in conjunction with each other Barry, Archie and the dog were able to quickly follow the missing party confirming for each other they were on the right track. At this stage the Sound Sweep search teams were advised of the direction this group were following and 3 teams were sent in to conduct Sound Sweep searches up either side of the ridge and up Blue Duck Creek (a major stream catchment that ran up onto the ridge). It was now 2. 30am The moon was bright and the searchers were very cold.

After tracking the two women for nearly 3 kilometres along the ridge the dog indicated the missing persons had dropped of and headed down into Blue Duck Creek. Archie was able to confirm the tracks belonged to the missing party and this information was passed on to the Sound Sweep teams. The time was now 4 00am

Sound Sweep searching of the creek and the slopes below the ridge originally followed continued and the dog and the human tracker continued their tasks. Barry radioed in to say he felt they were getting close to their target when the Sound Sweep team called in to say they had located the missing party in the Blue Creek area just below Barry, Archie and the dog. The time was now 4. 30am.

The missing pair had been huddled together since just after dark having decided to stay put until daylight when they intended to try and find their way out. Whether they would have both survived the night is questionable. The older woman was very cold and had lost her will to survive. Searchers believed she may have succumbed to the cold bearing in mind the coldest part of the night was still to come.

At the debrief the rescued woman said they heard the whistles of the Sound Sweep searchers two or three blasts before the searchers could hear their calls for help.

This search highlighted several points and proved the worth of the three search methods used

• The police dog was able to track on air scent some twelve hours after the subjects had passed by.
• The Sound Sweep for missing persons who are able and willing to communicate is an effective tool.
• The training of Archie Storm with Track and Clue Awareness techniques was invaluable. Amongst all the clues he was picking up, he was often able to confirm they were on the right track by spotting the footprints of the missing party’s dog.

Conclusion

The use of traditional search methods only, would have resulted in a delayed search, time wasted and possibly one death. There is no doubt the pair would have eventually been located, but the use of the dog and the human tracker put the searchers onto the area of probability very quickly.

I recommend the combined use of human tracker, dogs and sound sweep searching methods. They have been proven to be effective.

Each financial year (1st July one year to 30th June the next) I put together a national SAREX programme, which is basically made up from written forms (called directives) that District / local Police should forward to my office by the beginning of that financial year. For a number of reasons, this doesn’t always happen, and notification of a SAREX often arrives here at Police National HQ in a variety of different formats, well after the national programme has been printed and distributed.

The main reason I try to ensure there is not more than one SAREX on any one particular weekend, is so that when HF radio comms are used then one District is not interfering with another. If you are late getting in your bid for a particular weekend, don’t get too far down the track with your planning before you check as to what else is on that weekend. Sometimes two Districts can work in with one another to maintain different timings for radio skeds, but I’m sure most Districts would rather have the weekend to themselves radio-wise, particularly when there’s always the chance of the real thing happening just to make things even more complicated.