The emotional roller coaster of covering Pike River

Cherish every day and everyone you love.

That’s the most powerful message to us all from the tragic Pike River mine disaster outside of Greymouth in New Zealand.

29 husbands, fathers, brothers, sons and mates walked in to that mine last Friday expecting a normal quiet shift… they will never walk out.

I know the media can be despised for covering tragedies like Greymouth but that’s our job and so many average Australians want to be kept informed and are emotionally touched by it.

What should happen? Just ignore it?

Ignoring it basically says we don’t care, we live in our little privileged world and we don’t want your tragedy to spoil our day.

I would hope most Australians are a lot more compassionate particularly when it involves Kiwis… they’re like family.

Whether it be Beaconsfield, Cyclone Larry, the Victorian bushfires or Greymouth, they are harrowing experiences for everyone involved. Watching it on TV or reading about it in the newspaper, there is a barrier of detachment.

On the ground it is just so emotional.

It’s because normal, average human beings have been thrust in to their worst nightmare. Loved ones have been put in dire risk.

It touches all of us to the core because we can’t help think “there but for the grace of God go all of us”.

In our well ordered world in which we try and live, we’re reminded fate can change it in an instant. It’s our greatest fear.

That emotion is compounded when you get to personally know some of the people involved.

At Sunrise we’re in the privileged position of being invited in to people’s homes every morning. We become part of their morning routine, their lives. It’s a bond for which all of us on the Sunrise team cherish dearly.

At many tragedies we’re a familiar face, there’s a bond, and we try and do anything we can to help.

At Beaconsfield, Todd Russel and his family were big Sunrise fans. The rescue crews would talk down the communication line about that morning’s Sunrise to keep Todd and Brandt’s spirits up. Todd would pass messages and jokes up through the pipe while the rescue tunnel was being built.

Mel and I visited Todd’s kids at school, regularly dropped round to see his mum and dad. No-one knew. We did it because they were part of the Sunrise family and it was the decent thing any human being should do.

Before his rescue Todd sent up a message asking Mel and I to be at the mine gate when he came out. On seeing us, he beckoned me in to the ambulance and gave me his miner’s tag as a thankyou. I wasn’t going to refuse a request from a bloke who had been entombed for 14 days.

It was one of the kindest things anyone has ever done for me and I still have that tag as a cherished momento of friendship.

Todd called me this week (we still keep in touch) offering to help any of the Aussie families.

It was mental telepathy.

The night before I’d had dinner with Josh Ufer’s family… mum Jo, sister Kymberley, 3 month pregnant partner Rachael and step dad Kevin. They’d asked how Todd had coped with the media attention and I’d offered to organise for them to talk.

The Ufer’s are Sunrise viewers and mining is in their blood. Jo and Kevin work at the German Creek open cut coal mine in Queensland and Josh’s dad is in the mineral exploration business.

Josh met Rachael at Greymouth’s Speight Alehouse. He was working in the mine and she was working behind the bar. It was a wonderful love story.

On that Tuesday night Rachael was bubbly and upbeat about their plans for Josh to quit the mine at Christmas and move back to Queensland to bring up a family.

Kymberley joked about what a great big brother she had and how he loved getting dressed up and going the races.

Rachael joked how much he loved his cocktails and that could be the reason behind their romance because she is a pretty mean cocktail maker.

Kevin has operated one of the huge draglines at German Creek for over 20 years and confesses he’d never work underground.

Jo was upbeat but pensive. A mum who prayed for the best but also was preparing for the worst.

Kim Joynson is the wife of Willie of the Pike River 29. Another Sunrise viewer full of hope and one of those wonderful supportive women who you imagine to be the real tower of strength behind their tough, craggy husbands and the family.

The lady who owns the motel where we stayed had a brother trapped down the mine.

Also staying at the motel was the Rockhouse family. Son Daniel was one of the two miners who escaped the initial blast. Their other son Ben perished.

On the day of the first Pike River explosion mother Sonia Rockhouse’s father died on receiving the news. The funeral was held the day of the second explosion.

Just think about that family. They lost a father/grandfather and son/brother in the space of 6 days.

Covering a story like Greymouth is all about the faces. Those average, normal people being torn apart by fate.

It could be any of us at any time.

As a journalist you do your best to cover the event with as much compassion as you can and try to do your little bit to help if you can. To bring a smile, a hug, a kind word.

When the worst happens your heart breaks for them. Their anguish, their anger, their tears.

They say you have to remain dispassionate when covering events like Greymouth. You do your best but you’re only human.

It’s also why you take to heart, more than you should, the heartless snipes of a few. Technology certainly has the ability to bring out the worst in people, and there were some pretty nasty twitter comments.

But then your faith in human nature is restored.

I sent the condolences of the entire Sunrise Family after the second explosion to the families I had met.

Josh Ufer’s mum, Jo, sent a text message back;

“Thankyou so much. In a bad nightmare U and Steph (Sunrise producer) have been a ray of sunshine for us all.”

Comments

0 #13 2011-02-11 21:50

hi mate,sorry could not talk much, you showed that there are still some human jornalists left inthe world. my son can not look at a camera without crying because of other jornalists. your story is true and heartwarming..it is hard for us to comprehend when we see something on tv that is so far away, a good jornalist brings it home, and you did this, we came back too floods, but others were worse of than us as we still have a home even though a big part is missing. slowly like the rest of queensland we can and will rebuild our lives and hearts

:-*

my son said hi, and i need

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0 #12 2011-01-20 15:39

Thank you for this heart felt account from the perspective of a professional broadcaster.
Our company is FREELY opening it's seminar doors to those that have been directly effected by the floods to support the emotional healing.
To find our more, go to http://www.thejourney.com/australasia/intensive.htm
or call the office on +61 2 6629 1881 and speak to one of the team.

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+1 #11 2010-11-26 17:47

Well done on the coverage at Greymouth. What a week of highs and lows - with you in NZ covering this horrendous story and Mel and the others in Hawaii having a great week. This is why Sunrise is #1. My sincere thoughts and prayers to everyone affected by the mine disaster.

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0 #10 2010-11-26 16:38

I was reading some of the comments Kochie you certainly have a heart of gold all team in sunrise to bring such tragedy is so very sad... Your right when you said the men will go down but they will never walk out that mine again but I really thought that they would all walk out I thought there would be a miracle like there was over- sea's but unfortunately not to be I thought they would have the luck I had when my Son rang me and said he was alive from the King-lake fire's my heart and soul goes out to theses beautiful people... Thank-you Kochie you have a heart and have a Wonderful Christmas to all your team and be Safe and Heathly and good luck to the,Sunrise Team.
Thank-you for a Wonderful Show this Year To all of you your just a great team

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0 #9 2010-11-26 16:22

Thanks Kochie for that heartfelt account of some of your time over there. It certainly brings a tear to my eye everytime I watch coverage of the tragedy. My heart goes out to all of the families and friends of the miners. I just cannot imagine what sort of heartache they must be feeling.
Thank you for bringing the story to us, allowing us into parts of the loved ones lives and emotions. Its something I will never forget watching unfold, with great sadness.
Bless.x

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0 #8 2010-11-26 15:51

Thank you so much Kochie and the whole Sunrise team. Your coverage of this disaster has been done with great care and compassion. I am from the mining town of Mt Isa and my family and I know many other families in our great town feel connected to what has happened in Greymouth. We tune in every morning to get updated on what is going on and hope and pray that the families and loved ones of those wonderful brave men can soon have their boys returned to them and try to start and find some peace in their life. Thank you Kochie and Sunrise and keep up the good work.

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+1 #7 2010-11-26 12:56

I am not a religious person however upon hearing the real stories of this terrible tradegy I could not help sending out a prayer to those who the left behind. If this kind of jounalisim can help share the warmth & support that is offered by the genreal community,to the families & friends left behind. It can only be a good thing. In my heart & thoughts.

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0 #6 2010-11-26 12:06

I've been through some bad stuff that i remember sunrise team helping me with... you cool team ( :

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0 #5 2010-11-26 12:03

Thanks Kochie XXXOOOo ( : ... and sunrise team... so new to computer stuff am i but i've always appreciated the channel 7 team in how you have effected and connected with "everyday" viewer's lives. Thanks for helping make our lives better... in this challeging world !!! and thanks ch 7 sunrise family xo o( :

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0 #4 2010-11-26 11:33

Kochie,
Great article - thankyou.
Who ever made the rule that reporters are to remain dispassionate? Its just not real, its fake professionalism purely for the sake of being, well 'professional'! Certainly on politics and the weather, but a human tragedy? Its no wonder we feel detached sometimes.
Thank you for being real