NIGHTMARE JOURNEY

Chronicle (Levin), 18 July 1949, Page 5

NIGHTMARE JOURNEY

Press- Association j

Child Taken From Remole Area To Hospital

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AUCKLAND, July 17. Almost incredible difficulties .vere faeed reeently by a party of .viaoris and the wife of a sciibol.eacher, when they had to move a iickYJ^aori child from one of the nost^qinote ^ettlements in iealan^dQithe . Rotorua Hospital; To reach; the nearest road in the ueart o£ 'tlib Urewera-eountry, they hadlo cafry the child in a stretchcK.; pv'er a 12-mile horse trahk leading dhro.ugh dense bush, over -two mountainoxis; ranges. An acepi'int ' of • the jqiirney hffs Deeh given -hy -.-Mr. L.' G^ Petti- . grew, sole teacher at the Maungapohatu Maori School.

He and 1ns wife are the only Guropeans in the village. Their learest white neighbours are 20 niles away at Ruatahuna. The ichool is regarded as the most solated in New Zeaiand. " One of the school children Pouti Heemi, aged 12, became ill with rheumatic. fever. She was novecT to the schoolhouse and a loctor was called. Hoivever, the child 's ecndition became worse and Mr. Pettigrew then rode 20 niles to the nearest teleplione to get further medical advice. He was told to get the child to hospital as soon as possible. The return trip took him two lays. Taking the child on horseback vas out of the question so voluneers from Ruatahuna made up a itretcher party. Seven . Maori uen. three Maori women and Mrs. °ettigrew, avith nine horses, set iff with the patient'on a homenade stretcher. Rain was falling heavily and continued during the vhole of the 12-mile trek. The track was so h'arrow that inly two men could carry the itretcher at a time. Two ranges if hills 4000 -feet high had to be •crossed. It was a nightmare struggle tnd often the stretcher hearers mllapsed in mud. The leading hearer had a rope tied aronnd his hody and- was pnlled throngh the oiud l)y a horse. Streams more than knee^deep had to be erossed and often fallen trees blocked the track. The party was 'almost exhanstcd when it reached the road just ifter dark after an ea gthL hours' journey. Then Mrs. Pettigrew set oif to valk the 8 miles to Ruatahuna to -ret further airl. With the help of ••he Preshvterian missionarv. the Rev: R. D. Madill, who ohtained some of the party, she hired a fruek to bring the- patient "and oarty to the settlement. ■ An amhulanee then took the patient to Rotorua. The girl's condition is now slowly improving.