After the Canvastown flood came the flood of volunteers to help clean up.
Almost as soon as floodwaters receded after heavy rain inundated Canvastown, Havelock and areas of the Marlborough Sounds on December 27 and 28, about 20 volunteer workers from the Sanford mussel processing plant in Havelock were on the scene helping residents clean their properties and farms.
Fifteen volunteers spent about three days mopping up in Canvastown and six were in Havelock for two days.
More than 100 employees at the processing plant spent 10 weeks from September on full pay working on community projects around Marlborough while their factory was upgraded, volunteer hours that became part of a massive cleanup after the floods.
Canvastown resident Ian Archie, of Healeys Rd, nominated the workers as heroes after the flood. The Marlborough Express asked readers to nominate those whom they knew had put in a concerted effort in the aftermath which ripped up roads, trees and homes, and broke hearts.
"For residents to have that many guys turn up with shovels and spades was bloody incredible," Mr Archie said.
Canvastown Rural Fire Force chief fire officer and Sanford's day shift supervisor, Denis Marfell, said it was the volunteers' idea to go to Canvastown and all were enthusiastic about giving their time.
Mr Marfell was not surprised by their eagerness, saying the volunteers knew they were "not there for a holiday".
"They were bloody good, actually. On one farm I had a mate's quad bike with a trailer and they [the volunteers] kept me flat out with getting rid of the rubbish," he said.
Mr Marfell and the volunteers helped "whoever needed a hand" and used the rural-fire-force pumps and water to wash out five houses and seven sheds.
Just over three weeks after the downpour stopped there was still a lot of work left to do to get Canvastown back to normal, he said. Some of the front yards on Wakamarina Rd were still "just a shocking bloody mess".
Residents were rapt with the help they received from the workers, he said.
"One joker just about broke down in tears. He couldn't believe 10 to 12 people would help and get rid of all the rubble he'd looked at for two days. He just didn't know where to start [cleaning up]," he said.
The Havelock factory was back up and running now, but some workers still had a desire to go back to Canvastown to help residents.
"Some would still be out there right now if they could," Mr Marfell said.
- The Marlborough Express
SIMON WONG
LENDING A HAND: Sanford workers Robert Murdoch, Che Ritchie, Denis Marfell, George Grant and Jude Osmand, who were part of a group of volunteers to help in the big clean up of Canvastown after December's flood.
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