FAKE dOPE REAl TROublE - New Zealand Police Association

NotebookTraumatised by a tornadoA violent storm affected threepolice families in Auckland, allof whom received aid from theAssociation.With the sky darkeningaround her, CatherineTaylor realised theweather had turned, but she wasdetermined to finish mowing thelast bit of lawn at her Hobsonvillehome. Her Labrador dog, Wag,wasn’t hanging about though – heran inside as a violent and totallyunexpected tornado bore down onthe area.Catherine’s partner, Regan, adiesel mechanic with the NewZealand Air Force at nearbyWhenuapai, had just made it hometo the West Auckland suburbbefore the roads were closed. In lessthan five minutes the tornado hadkilled three construction workers,destroyed 22 homes and badlydamaged more than 300 otherproperties.The violent twister was followedby torrential rain and flooding andCatherine and Regan franticallytried to save their possessionsinside their rented house, notrealising at that stage that most oftheir roof had been blown off.“Our neighbours and friendswere fantastic assisting with thepack-up,” Catherine says. “Thestreets were cordoned off, and westayed home packing.” They storedsome items at a neighbour’s housethat wasn’t as badly damaged.Newly pregnant, Catherine, adispatcher at North Comms inAuckland, phoned her midwife tocancel her appointment and thenrang her insurance company.“Rhys Cantwell [Police staffwelfare officer] phoned asking howhe could assist, and the next dayoffered us a Police home to live inwhile we got sorted,” Catherinesays.That first night, Wag went to staywith a friend and Catherine andRegan bunked down with friendsat West Harbour. The next day,“after some Kiwi ingenuity packingup wet gears we were in the Policehome”.“Rhys continued to make phonecalls of support, and within dayswe had a grant to assist withimmediate costs,” Catherine says.Her boss, North Commsmanager Superintendent KelvinPowell, also made regular callsand ensured she had time off workduring the busy Christmas period.With winds of up to 200kilometres an hour, the tornado,which hit on the afternoon ofDecember 6 last year, left behind aclean-up bill of $16 million and upto 300 people were homeless. Theextent of the devastation shockedcivil defence and emergencyservices.Not only was Catherine andRegan’s house not safe to returnto, but the tornado had written offone of their cars and extensivelydamaged the other. Regan’s projectCadillac was also damaged.The Police Welfare Fundprovided Catherine and Regan witha financial grant, petrol vouchersand two nights in a holiday home.Catherine and Regan found anew rental property just beforeChristmas and are now happilysettled in and expecting their firstbaby in July.“The assistance from the PoliceAssociation has been amazing,and we wouldn’t have recovered asquickly without such generosity,along with support from friends,family and colleagues, includingfood hampers that were perfect intime for Christmas,” Catherine says.Police Welfare Fund assistanceis available to members who findthemselves in a situation such asthe loss suffered by Catherine andRegan. Two other Police families“The assistancefrom the PoliceAssociation hasbeen amazing,and we wouldn’thave recoveredas quicklywithout suchgenerosity.”– Catherine Tayloraffected by the tornado were alsoassisted by Rhys and AucklandCentral Police Associationcommittee secretary Simon Prentis,who works at North Comms.Police Welfare Fund managerPete Hayes says it was amazing thatthere were three Police familiesliving so close to each other whoall suffered because of the freakweather event.“In cases such as this, the wholePolice family can work togetherto assist members in their hour ofneed. It is very pleasing to assistCatherine and the other memberswho were so badly affected thatday.” – Ellen BrookThe tornado left up to 300 homes uninhabitable, including CatherineTaylor's rental property, above.new zealand police aSSOCIATION june 2013 133