A sister's Erebus memory

The Erebus story from a sister of one of the victims.

I have been asked to put my thoughts to paper on the effects of the Erebus disaster in order that this terrible event can be truly recorded and be an important part of New Zealand’s history. I have agreed as I believe that New Zealanders must be aware of not only the effects that the loss of loved ones had on remaining family members but also the terrible stain it left on all New Zealanders. This was due to, in my opinion, the irresponsible and dishonest behaviour of both the Prime Minister of New Zealand at the time, Robert Muldoon, and the CEO of Air New Zealand, Morrie Davis. These men, fortunately, are not representative of the average New Zealander. In my opinion, Robert Muldoon as Prime Minister of the country let down every New Zealander, while Morrie Davis stained New Zealanders’ pride in their beloved flag carrier.

Much has been written about how the way these two men acted deeply affected the lives of Captain Jim Collins’ wife and family. I also feel that everyone should be aware of the grace and dignity with which that family acted in the wake of unjustified accusations of incompetence by Captain Collins as captain of the doomed Air New Zealand flight TE901. These unjustified accusations took many years to be officially corrected, with Air New Zealand and the government of New Zealand officially apologising on the 40th anniversary of the disaster. In addition, Justice Mahon must also be mentioned as the man who, against all odds, endeavoured to discover the truth to ensure that families could be fairly compensated for their loss.

That being said, we must acknowledge the fact that New Zealanders from every corner of our wonderful country came forward and did what they could for the grieving families. People on the street, local policemen, distant family members, and teachers who tried to help the children of the victims, all came forward to do what they could.

Finally, I need to acknowledge the work of those who attended the crash site and tried to recover as many bodies as they could. One must consider that this was extremely important as not only could the families say a final goodbye to their loved ones, but the victims could be declared officially dead. The families of the victims who could not be recovered had to wait several months before a special bill was passed in Parliament to declare their loved one(s) dead. Only then could widows collect a widow’s pension, for example.

So, to our story. I am not mentioning my sister’s name, as one of her children still lives in New Zealand and I would like to protect her identity. All of her children have read this story and approve of it.

My sister was the mother of three young children and a practising professional. She loved to travel and, like many New Zealanders, was fascinated by Antarctica. This was to be a short break for her away from work and her responsibilities as a mother. She had arranged to meet a friend in Christchurch on the return leg and this trip was to be a well-deserved vacation.

On the morning of November 28, 1979, I woke in Canada (which is behind New Zealand in time) to the news that an Air New Zealand flight had crashed in Antarctica. My sister wrote to me every week, so I quickly retrieved her last letter to confirm what flight she was on. My heart dropped when I realised that she was on that flight. I immediately phoned my parents, who were shocked to hear that I had learnt about the flight from the radio. They were waiting to call me and did not realise that the news would get out so quickly. They, of course, had never gone to sleep that night. They had immediately gone out to my brother-in-law’s place when they had heard that the flight was overdue returning to Christchurch.

I immediately tried to arrange for a flight back to New Zealand. Air New Zealand was fully booked but once they heard why I had to return to New Zealand the message came back that there would be a free ticket waiting for me at the airport. I had never asked for a free ticket, so I knew then and there that there was no hope.

On arrival in Auckland, I was escorted kindly to my next flight and on arrival at my local airport I was met by my father, who was just distraught. He handed me the key to the car and fell apart.

My sister left behind three small children aged two, four and six. Our main aim as a family was to protect them and try to ensure that life would go on as smoothly as possible for them. The youngest turned three about 10 days later and although we were grieving, we tried to have a party for him. Local members of the community came together and really tried to help in any way that they could. From teachers, neighbours, the families of the children’s friends to the unknown person on the street. As I mentioned earlier, these kind actions happened all over the country.

Families who have lost loved ones from a disaster know what the shock and grief is like. However, as the days went by it was obvious that the government of New Zealand and the upper management of Air New Zealand were trying every way they could to blame the pilot and cover up the gross negligence that had occurred. This is not unusual in air accidents, but it left a very bitter taste in the mouths of many New Zealanders and not only those who were closely affected. This action really prevented the families from grieving and then getting on with life in the best way they could.

My mother and brother-in-law were particularly upset at the actions of these two institutions. My mother died of cancer three years after the crash and my brother-in-law never really recovered. My father was extremely concerned about the future of the three children and spent the rest of his days showering as much love on them as he could.

However, for the children life did go on. They became three very fine, upstanding adults who did very well in their chosen professions. They grew up without a mother and only they would be able to articulate how that affected them, but suffice to say that it will have affected each of them in very different ways. However, the three of them have established their own lovely families and my husband and I have been honoured to have maintained very close contact with each of these families. My sister’s eight grandchildren are all doing extremely well, and we have the pleasure in being able to share a bit of the glory of their accomplishments.

As for Air New Zealand and the government of New Zealand, much has happened in the last two decades. Rob Fyfe, as CEO of Air New Zealand, in my opinion, started the process of Air New Zealand reaching out to the families of the victims [on the 30th anniversary in 2009]. The formal apologies to the families of the victims by both Air New Zealand represented by Dame Therese Walsh, Chair of the Board, and the government of New Zealand, represented by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, on the 40th anniversary of the disaster, was a major step in the right direction. The several meetings that have taken place with family members of the victims and the work that is being undertaken on the establishment of a memorial are important steps. It is my hope that this memorial will be situated in Wellington and will serve as a reminder to New Zealanders' elected representatives of the important leadership role they hold.

So, what do I think that New Zealanders should know about the effects of the Erebus disaster.

• This was New Zealand’s deadliest disaster.
• In my opinion, both Robert Muldoon as Prime Minister of New Zealand and Morrie Davis as CEO of Air New Zealand failed to provide leadership and let New Zealanders down badly.
• Again, in my opinion, Justice Mahon worked hard to discover the truth about the disaster and was not fairly recognised for his work. His findings convincingly cleared Captain Collins and First Officer Cassin of any suggestion that negligence on their part had in any way contributed to the disaster. But, it took nearly 20 years for the government of New Zealand to even table his report before Parliament.
• The attacks on the reputation of Captain Collins were completely unjustified in my opinion. Although it took 40 years, his family finally received a formal apology from the government of New Zealand.
• Members of the recovery team deserve to be recognised for their courage in recovering as many of the remains of the victims as possible. The stress caused by this work affected many of these brave folks for years following.
• Families will continue to lose loved ones in disasters, but it is extremely important for the leaders of the day to provide leadership and prevent bitterness.
• For the sake of those left behind, it is hoped that the lessons learned help to ensure that this lack of leadership will never happen again.
• Air New Zealand has re-established itself as the proud flag carrier for the country and I look forward to my annual return to New Zealand on this airline.
• New Zealanders should be proud of the fact that ordinary New Zealanders across the length and breadth of the country tried hard to ease the burden of the families left behind on that fateful day. They just got on with doing what New Zealanders are renowned for doing, helping their fellow citizens.
• Our family has moved on, and we are extremely proud of my sister’s children and grandchildren. They are all a delight, and she would have been extremely proud of them. They exhibit her intelligence, hard work, dedication and determination. We will never forget her.

My sincere hope is that New Zealanders will learn about this disaster, learn how the people of New Zealand were let down by the Prime Minister of the day and the CEO of Air New Zealand, but also learn that New Zealanders from every part of the country tried their best to help the families of the victims. Employees of Air New Zealand and the government of New Zealand have worked hard during the last 15 years to try to right the terrible wrongs that occurred. Let us learn and make sure that the people of New Zealand will never again be treated so badly.

Read more memories like this: Reflections on Erebus series.

See also, passengers and crew from Flight TE901 (Manatū Taonga)