Erebus crash workers receive special service medal

Eleven current and former police staff were among the first 22 people to receive the New Zealand Special Service Medal (Erebus) at a Parliamentary ceremony on 22 March.

Inspector Stu Leighton.
South Comms Shift Commander, Inspector Stu
Leighton – the youngest officer on the ice – proudly
displays his NZSSM (Erebus) Medal 27 years after the event.

Erebus team.
Current and former Police Officers at the NZSSM (Erebus) presentation. From left: Retired Superintendent Robert Mitchell, Senior Constable Alan Campbell, Retired Sergeant Mark Penn, Inspector Greg Gilpin, Retired Inspector Bruce Blayney, Sergeant Allan Cantley, Retired Sergeant Graham Webby, Retired Constable Catherine Ahuriri, Inspector Alastair (Roly) Williams, Retired Constable Trefor Jones, Inspector Stu Leighton.

The ceremony and medal presentation recognised personnel involved in the body recovery, crash investigation and victim identification phases of Operation Overdue – the response to the 28 November 1979 Mount Erebus crash of Flight TE 901.

Inspector Greg Gilpin, Inspector Stu Leighton, Retired Superintendent Robert Mitchell and Retired Sergeant Mark Penn received their medals for their work on the ice recovery phase of the operation.

Inspector Alastair Williams, Inspector Bruce Blayney, Sergeant Allan Cantley, Senior Constable Alan Campbell, Retired Constable Catherine Ahuriri, Retired Sergeant Graham Webby and Retired Constable Trefor Jones received their medals for their work in the Auckland Mortuary phase.

The eleven other recipients represented the NZ Defence Force, Office of Air Accident Investigations, NZ Airline Pilots Association, Face Rescue, NZ Antarctic Research Programme and NZ Funeral Directors Association. A Mortuary Technician, Forensic Dentist, Forensic Pathologist and NZ Press Association member received medals.

Speaking at the medal ceremony, Commissioner Howard Broad said the inter-agency and international collaboration in response to the crash of TE 901 truly represents how, in times of adversity, people rally to help each other.

“In recognising these police officers today, I take heart from the fact that we have always had, continue to have and will in the future have very fine people who, by their actions, without fear of favour, go well above and beyond the demanding call of duty.”