www.guardianONLINE.co.nz
‘ABSOLUTE CARNAGE’ AT THE LAKES P2
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MORE GLORY ON THE GREENS? P10
Guardian
Ashburton
www.guardianONLINE.co.nz
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
FIRST PUBLISHED SEPTEMBER 27, 1879
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Inquiry in Death stuns Rakaia community progress into crash Theatre company goes Gangnam style cause By Michelle Nelson and Sam Morton
Shocked Rakaia residents are coming to terms with the death of a man described as a genuinely good bloke. Local farmer, Andrew Hamish Baxter, 45, known as Hamish, died after falling from a quad motorbike late on Saturday night, near his farm on Gardiners Road. It is understood he was checking his irrigators and was not wearing a helmet. Emergency services found Mr Baxter on a grass verge beside the road with fatal head injuries. Rakaia resident and Ashburton
District councillor Ken Cutforth said Mr Baxter was well known and respected in the tight-knit rural community. “This is a terrible start to the new year,” Mr Cutforth said. “People are devastated. “Hamish was a genuinely good bloke and was very well-liked.” Ironically, a German couple staying at the Cutforths’ guest house, St Ita’s, had met Mr Baxter earlier on Saturday evening and he had offered to show them around his farm the following day. “We were trying to call him on Sunday morning; later we learned the terrible reason he wasn’t answering his phone,” Mr Cutforth said.
Rakaia Citizens Association chairman Neil Pluck said the community has been left stunned, shaken and in disbelief. Mr Pluck, who knew Mr Baxter well, said the community had lost a great man, with a “happy go lucky attitude, even when things weren’t going well”. “I’d say most of the community, if not everyone, knew of or knew Hamish and his family, so it has been a real shock for us all. “We’re in disbelief to be honest and this is another one of those times where we really need to pull together and deal with it as a community. He was such a hardworking man who always wanted to do right by his family and his busi-
ness, he was exceptionally committed to both,” Mr Pluck said. Mr Baxter, who was also a customer of Mr Pluck’s engineering business, had recently converted his crop farm to dairy. His death has served as a real eye-opener to fellow farmers and businessmen, Mr Pluck said. “It makes you stop and check your stride and actually question who you’re working for. “Hamish was a real fun character and a great man to do business with too – I know he will be sorely missed by all that knew him.” The community were already rallying around the Baxter family. “Rakaia locals will do anything
they can to help; they are a fantastic family with plenty of friends and no lack of support,” Mr Pluck said. “Now we are left to picture our last moments with Hamish and the last time we saw him and all we can do is hang onto those memories. It’s such a sad time for everyone.” Before making the switch to dairying, Mr Baxter and his wife, Louise, produced award-winning cereal crops. The couple was also recognised for supporting district ventures, and featured in the Guardian when they opened their garden as a fundraiser for the Dorie Community Preschool in 2009.
By Sam Morton The cause of the quad bike crash that killed Rakaia farmer Hamish Baxter is not likely to be known for weeks. Canterbury road policing manager Inspector Al Stewart said the investigation was likely to take a couple of weeks, before the case is handed over to the coroner. It is understood Mr Baxter was not wearing a helmet at the time, although Mr Stewart believes that helmets are not commonly worn among the rural community. “That’s reasonably common (not to be wearing a helmet), but our message to everyone is a twowheel or four-wheel bike is always going to be vulnerable, so make the experience as safe as possible – and that of course includes wearing a safety helmet. “That’s the real message we need to be sending home, not just to farmers, but to everyone,” he said. Just a day after the death, police began their scene investigation into the incident to determine what may have caused Mr Baxter to lose control of the quad bike near his farm on Gardiners Road, Rakaia, about 11.15pm on Saturday. The investigation will cover all contributing factors such as alcohol, speed, mechanical issues and conditions. Sergeant Sean Buchanan, of Ashburton, said Mr Baxter was checking irrigators on his farm before the crash. He was found on the grass verge beside the road with fatal head injuries. Inspector Stewart said the death was a horrific way to start the new year and sent his condolences to the family. “This is no way to start the new year for either the family or the community ... it’s terrible. “Any road fatality is a tragedy and we now need to look at what we can do to prevent an incident like that occurring again in the future,” he said. A Department of Labour spokesperson also confirmed preliminary inquiries were under way to decide if a full investigation is required into the death. Meanwhile, police are appropriately pushing the safety message,
Hamish Baxter urging Mid Canterbury residents to operate farm bikes and off-road vehicles responsibly, by wearing a helmet and hi-visibility clothing. “We ask that rural families and communities look out for each other and encourage the wearing of this safety gear, as well as undergo the appropriate training,” Mr Buchanan said. The investigation will remain under way for about a fortnight. Mr Baxter is survived by his wife Louise and his three daughters Liz, Sarah and Nicola. Meanwhile, quad bike deaths have dominated headlines this summer and yesterday proved no exception. A farm worker in Hawke’s Bay further prompted calls for better safety around bike use as he crashed his quad bike and suffered serious spinal injuries yesterday morning. Mr Baxter’s death follows that of teenager Rowan Parker, 16, who was killed on Boxing Day when he lost control of a quad bike in South Otago and drove over a cliff, falling 150 metres onto rocks. Several others have also been seriously injured recently, including 6-year-old Ashlee Shorrock who suffered broken ribs, a broken arm, a broken collar bone and was put into an induced coma after the bike which she was on with four adults crashed in Hawke’s Bay. The investigation into Mr Baxter’s death will continue as the family come to grips with their loss.
Gangnam meets Vegas - students in action on day one at the Big Little Theatre Company’s summer school.
By Sue Newman Whatever happens, the show must go on and youngsters attending this year’s Big Little Theatre Company summer school were learning yesterday just how much work has to be done before their show hits the stage. About 60 aspiring thespians, ranging in age from five-year
-olds through to experienced stage stars in their late teens, donned their show uniforms and knuckled down to a week of work that will become a stage show by Friday. Tutors for this year’s summer school are a mix of returning students and professionals and include Elizabeth O’Connor from Court Theatre and street performer, theatre director and
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stand-up comic Dan Bain. With Ms O’Connor intermediate and senior students will write a radio drama, which they will record and a screen drama which they will film. Students will work on physical theatre with Mr Bain to devise a new show, I Love my Robot. They will also have an opportunity to see his show, Why are my Parents so Boring, which opens
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for a three-show season in the Ashburton Trust Event Centre tonight. Greta Casey-Solly, a former member of the company, has returned from Melbourne to tutor at the school as choreographer and dance captain. The summer school is in its third year and has attracted students both from within its own company and from around
Canterbury. This year for the first time, director Jackie Heffernan said the school has included a section for advanced students to cater for the number of returnees who have amassed significant stage experience. The 60 students will present The Show Must Go On on Friday, in the Ashburton Trust Event Centre.
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