An ANZAC Day that I won’t forget. 25.4.2025

After the Dawn Service in Dunedin, I drove to Waikaia, then onto Piano Flat, towing a quad bike. Once my mates arrived, we set off up the hill on our bikes. The 4WD track was rough, full of deep ruts that made it hard to navigate.

As we climbed, a steep section proved my undoing. One rock and a divot flipped my bike, throwing both it and me 15 meters into a manuka bush—thankfully.

Once I caught my breath, I did a self-assessment. I looked to my left; straight away, I could see that my wrist was broken. At this time, one of the guys got down to me and moved branches out of the way so that I could get out from under the bike.

I climbed back up the hill and joined the other two to make a plan. We had very few options, especially with no cellphone reception. One idea was to drive to Invercargill Hospital, but that would take over two hours. The route included rough 4WD tracks, which would make the journey even harder. Then I remembered my Personal Locator Beacon at the top of my pack. I pulled it out and activated it immediately.

I’m very lucky the weather was calm and warm when the accident happened, the sun was just starting to go down, and a chill was setting in. I put an emergency blanket from my first aid kit on as I was also starting to go into shock. The rescue helicopter was on the ground 55 minutes after activating my PLB, and paramedics were treating me.

I’m incredibly grateful for this piece of gear and will always urge others to carry one when heading out hunting.