Fourteen individuals involved in the response to the 28 November 1979 Mount Erebus crash of Flight TE901 will receive their New Zealand Special Service Medal (Erebus) on Monday at a ceremony for Wellington-based recipients.
Last month on 22 March, a first group from the initial list of 133 recipients received their NZSSM (Erebus) from Police Minister Annette King at Parliament. That event is now being followed by further presentation ceremonies around the country.
Monday's ceremony has been organised by Wellington Police and will take place at the InterContinental Hotel in Wellington on Monday 16 April 2007 from 2.00pm.
The NZSSM (Erebus) is being awarded to police and other personnel involved with the body recovery, crash investigation and victim identification phases associated with Operation Overdue. The medal was announced by the Government on 28 November 2006, which was the 27th anniversary of the Erebus crash, to recognise the traumatic demands faced by those who successfully identified 214 of the 257 victims.
The NZSSM was instituted by the Government in 2002 to 'recognise service or work for New Zealand in very difficult, adverse, extreme or hazardous circumstances that fall outside the boundaries of what individuals could normally expect as part of their routine duties or work'.
For more information see: http://medals.nzdf.mil.nz/news/index.html
A list of those who will receive the NZSSM (Erebus) on 16 April follows on page 2.
NZSSM (EREBUS) RECIPIENTS AT 16 APRIL CEREMONY IN WELLINGTON:
Note:
The rank noted alongside recipients who were members of the New Zealand Police is that which they held at the time of the event. All recipients who were members of the New Zealand Police have since retired.
Location of service: Crash Site, Mount Erebus
New Zealand Police
Constable Brett JONES
Sergeant Peter RODGER
Location of service: Scott Base
New Zealand Antartic Research Programme, DSIR
Colin FINK
Constable Edward (Ted) ROBINSON (seconded to DSIR)
Location of service: Auckland Mortuary
New Zealand Police
Constable Anthony BOOTSMA
Detective Inspector Michael CHARLES
Constable Wayne COCKBURN
Constable Christopher GALLAGHER
Constable David TURNER
Detective Constable Paul ELLEN
New Zealand Embalmers Association
Peter BEAUCHAMP
Lindsay HELSON
Cedric LITTLE
Stuart WHEELER
......................................................................................................
For more information or to attend the presentation ceremony, please contact:
Toni Barlow, Tel: 04 496 3464