Helping a helper

Phillip Hawkins has been a volunteer firefighter for the last 15 years and has always been willing to lend a hand in the community, but he’s been stopped in his tracks by a second bout of cancer. As he gets weaker, he needs to use a wheelchair to get around so he asked for a quote for a ramp to be built to be able to get in and out of the house.

It was then other firefighters stepped forward and offered to build the deck and ramp for him. Local builder and volunteer firefighter Dean Di Bona said Phil had always been willing to help others.

At a fish auction held to help raise funds for the fire service, “after the fish had been gutted and filleted, Phil took the remainders and helped make soup for the elderly.  All he ever wants to do is help.”

Sitting inside, he was overwhelmed as he watched the crew at work. “They didn’t have to do it, they just turned up and got started.  They’ve got to make a living but they’re here.  I’m really grateful for the guys giving up their time to come and build this for me.”

“Who gives up their time like this?” Phil asked.  For years, the volunteer firie has been doing just that.

He said he was no good at school and slipped through the cracks.  The father of three said it wasn’t until his eldest boy was five, that he learnt to read himself.  He then spent three years on the school’s board of trustees.

Always on the lookout to contribute to the community, he also signed up to be a volunteer firefighter.   Of the many incidents he got called out to, a fatal truck accident near Lake Ferry hit him hard.”When we turned up at the site, it was someone we knew.”

Phil went back to work the next day to harvest onions, and was fine at first.
“I got into the tractor and when I drove into the paddock and saw all the workers, there were about 60, the first two I spotted were my sons, and that’s when it hit me, that could have been my boy.”  

The 54 year old has stopped chemotherapy as he was told it might prolong his life by a few months but it was making him sick.He sat the family down and talked about giving it up.  They didn’t like it but eventually agreed.  “I’ll take that time instead of them watching me suffer.  I prefer to have what quality of life I have now.  It’s not just my journey.”

The Martinborough Volunteer Fire Brigade meets every Tuesday night at 7pm and more volunteers are always needed.

Photo caption: On the job; Pete fisher, Philip Hawkins, Jake Hawkins, Jamie Brock, Dean diBona ,Justin Hudepohl, and Randell Aranui. Special thanks to Maitre 10 for the donation of some materials