The parachuting nurse!

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 2, Issue 30, 15 January 1985, Page 6

The parachuting nurse!

Carolyn Crawford of Ohakune has made over 250 parachute jumps, worked in a kibbutz, travelled and worked in Europe and the East for three and a half years and has trained and worked as a nurse — all in 25 years.

by

Rosalind

Donald

When Carolyn was 14 she decided she was going to jump! She made her first jump when she was 18 and from then on was hooked on it. The height does not worry her she said "because there is no sensation of height as it doesn't look that far — the houses look just like dolls' houses. For the first five jumps, the students learning the sport were put on a 'static

line' to ensure their parachutes open. "With other sports, you are pushing safety to its limits — like in skiing, the

idea is to see how fast you can go — whereas with jumping, the safety limits are already set, so it's really not as dangerous as other sports." By regulation the parachutes have to open by 2,500 feet. Carolyn believes it helps to be fit. "In Switzerland you have to pass a physical fitness test before you're allowed to jump." She enjoyed jumping in Switzerland. "It's a great way to get to know people as it breaks down the language barrier because we're all there to do one thing." "The planes were much more spacious and warm, although they needed to be because sometimes it was minus 1 8° C on the ground ! " "The farmers there get really mad with parachutists because they land on their crops. So if you land off the drop-zone you have to pay a fine of about $NZ18 which they save up to give to the farmers at the end of the year to keep them happy!" Carolyn went to work on a kibbutz through an organisation in London. "It rained once during the five months I was there — it was always sunny, no clouds." Carolyn was given many jobs including kitchen work, weeding, potato picking and olive picking "which was the best job," she remembers. "We started as soon as the sun rose and we were finished by about 1 1.00am." Another job she enjoyed there was working in the 'children's house' for nine and ten year olds. "The children don't live with their parents. At first it reminded me of boarding school that the kids never left. But they do what they want ... they help themselves

to food and they all grow up together so they are like a family all of the same age." "All the toilets, showers, chairs and tables are for the size'of nine and ten-year olds." "The parents don't have normal parental jobs — they don't have to cook, clean or drive to and from work, so after work they can spend lots of time with their kids — fathers take their kids swimming and fishing and often have dinner together." One of the aims when setting up kibbutzim was to free the mothers from being mothers. "They never have to worry where their children are as they are always somewhere in the kibbutz. Carolyn described the inside of the kibbutz as being like a big garden. "Really bright and lots of colour." When she was back in Europe, one of Carolyn's jobs included working for a Moroccan Jew from Israel in Geneva, selling 'Falaffels'. "I had to talk in French to people because it was the first time Falaffels had been sold in Switzerland. I started off just copying and said some rude things to people!" Whilst living in Ohakune, Carolyn has worked as a nurse at Turoa and last year worked for Dr Plant in Raetihi. She has decided she would like a break from nursing. "I'd like to go overseas again, but not to travel," she said. Carolyn would like to do an Arabic studies course at University but is not sure if it is possible in New Zealand. As for the immediate future Carolyn said "if something comes up, 111 take it."