As Chair of the Pendarves Young Farmers, Mitch has heard his fair share of rescue helicopter stories.
“Everyone in this community knows of someone who has been picked up by the rescue helicopter. It’s a lifeline.”
Mitch has his own story.
It was 2015 and Mitch thought farming wasn’t for him, so he took a job working in a mid-Canterbury factory.
“I was only about half an hour away from knocking off when I was told we needed to check some box labelling in the chiller.”
Mitch asked the forklift driver to lift the steel racks of product down.
“It started tipping towards me and then the whole lot fell on top of me. It weighed roughly three tonnes, and it fell with such force that the forklift bounced out backwards and landed on its side.”
Mitch was lying on his back. The racks landed in between a couple of other frames, with the racking leaning against itself.
“A couple of my coworkers pulled boxes off the shelving and tried to pull me through, but with the pain in my back and the unsteadiness of the frame they had to stop. So, I was stuck awkwardly in the shelving of the frame.”
That meant emergency services couldn’t reach Mitch.
“The fire brigade had to drill holes in the roof to secure the racking before they could get me out.”
Mitch says that took about two hours, and the whole time he was lying on his back in a two-degree chiller.
“I was hypothermic by the time they got to me. Luckily the Westpac Rescue Helicopter was there waiting. It was like a blur; I was on a stretcher and the next thing I know I’m in the back of a chopper and I’m hearing it take off. I was shocked with how quickly I got to Christchurch Hospital.”
Mitch had broken his back. He considers himself extremely lucky that his injuries weren’t worse, and that he has made a full recovery.
“It took about six months with lots of rehab and physio. I had a return-to-work programme planned but, in the end, I thought factory work wasn’t for me and I went back to the farm, and it was the best decision. I love it.”
Mitch works on a dairy farm near Methven and is the Chair of Pendarves Young Farmers. Their 2025 Speed Shear event is supporting the Canterbury West Coast Air Rescue Trust.
“The rescue helicopter is a vital link for rural communities; it really does save lives. We’re proud that Pendarves Young Farmers is supporting the Canterbury West Coast Air Rescue Trust through our Speed Shear event. It’s one way we can support the rescue helicopter service which does so much for our people and our community.”
For more information about the Pendarves Speed Shear see their Facebook page.
