The Star: February 16, 2023

THE CITY council is reviewing
the actions of lifeguards at
Pioneer Recreation and Sport
Centre after a video of staff
throwing a floating ring across
the pool to a child it was claimed
was drowning went viral.
The video, shared on TikTok,
featured two lifeguards on a
platform above the pool. One of
them threw the ring across the
busy pool and it landed on the
child with pinpoint accuracy.
The video was captioned: “See
a kid drowing (sic), Dw (don’t
worry) I got it.”
Pool users appreciated
the skilful throw, with one
man seen giving enthusiastic
support for the young lifeguard’s
aim.
The video quickly racked up
thousands of views but was
swiftly removed after media
inquiries to the city council.
City council head of recreation
Nigel Cox said the child was
never in danger.
“The child in the video was
not drowning or in difficulty
in the water, but had asked a
lifeguard to throw him a life ring
to use while swimming in the
pool.
“This was not an emergency
situation and therefore our
standard emergency practices
were not required to be followed
in this instance,” he said.
Cox said the video should not
have been shared online but the
lifeguards were well-trained and
took the safety of pool users very
seriously.
“We take all incidents of pool
users getting into difficulty in
Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz
Princess Anne to rededicate war memorial
THE PUBLIC will be able to see
Princess Anne at the Citizens’
War Memorial rededication
tomorrow.
She is the Colonel in Chief
of the NZ Army’s Royal New
Zealand Corps of Signals, and is
visiting New Zealand to attend
its centenary celebrations.
She will be rededicating the
Citizens’ War Memorial in Cathedral
Square at noon.
Princess
Anne will be
accompanied by
her husband Vice-
Admiral Sir Tim
Laurence during
the half-hour
ceremony, and will
lay a wreath as well as unveil a
plaque.
The Bishop of Te Wai Ponamu
will conduct a blessing and the
Lifeguard’s pool ‘rescue’
called out after viral video
NICE SHOT: The Pioneer
Recreation and Sport Centre
lifeguard threw the floating
ring across the pool to
the child with pinpoint
accuracy.
Bishop of Christchurch will say
the closing prayer. RSA national
president Sir Wayne Shelford
will also attend with representatives
from the Royal NZ Navy
Volunteer Reserve and 2/4 Battalion
RNZIR.
Traffic will be closed on the
north side of the Square and the
tram will not be running.
The service will still go ahead
in the event of rain.
the water very seriously and our
lifeguards are extensively trained
in the different procedures used
depending on the nature of the
issue. “This video should not
have been posted online and we
ROCKPOOL
RIBS
AND A
BOTTLE OF
HEINEKEN
$20
are reviewing the matter,” he
said.
– NZ Herald
•81-year-old talks about
beach rescue page 13
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Thursday February 16 2023 The Star
NEWS 3
• Watch the video at
nzherald.co.nz
Video of
kidnapped
Chch pilot
released
SEPARATIST rebels in
Indonesia’s restive Papua
province released photos and
videos on Tuesday of a man they
said is the Christchurch pilot
they took hostage last week.
Phillip Mehrtens, a pilot for
Indonesian aviation company
Susi Air, was abducted by independence
fighters from the West
Papua Liberation Army, the
armed wing of the Free Papua
Movement, who stormed his
single-engine plane shortly after
it landed on a runway in Paro in
the remote Nduga district.
The plane, carrying five passengers,
was scheduled to pick
up 15 construction workers
building a health centre in Paro
after a group of separatist rebels
threatened to kill them.
The rebels released all five
passengers because they are
indigenous Papuans, rebel
spokesperson Sebby Sambom
said earlier.
Sambom sent videos and
photos to The Associated Press
on Tuesday that showed a group
of gunmen led by Kogoya setting
fire to the plane on the runway.
Another video showed a man
identified as Mehrtens standing
in a forest surrounded by
a group of people armed with
rifles, spears and bows and arrows.
In a third video, the man
was ordered by the rebels to
say, “Indonesia must recognise
Papua is independent”.
– Associated Press
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