I am sitting watching the Memorial Service on television as it takes place in a beautiful park on a beautiful sunny day in Christchurch and thinking of all those folks whose lives have dramatically and unexpectedly changed forever.
I am also thinking of a very special lady who is at this very moment driving a group of people through the South Island. I know that there will be countless of unsung heroes who put other people first before their own natural instincts and safety and they will not receive any public recognition for their bravery.
Megan is one such lady, a very special person. On meeting her she is one of those people who instantly connects, she has particularly twinkling eyes and a sharp sense of humour.
Megan was the bus driver who took me through the North Island. A highly skilled and intelligent lady she showed us her skills and expertise as she guided us through new and interesting experiences around a new country.
One evening in a quieter moment we were talking about the hardships currently being experienced in Christchurch and the surrounding areas, the continuing strong aftershocks and the implications of that on daily life. I was leaving the bus in Wellington and knew that folks were continuing southwards and that a few of the group were feeling a little tense about continuing their journey at this particular time. I knew Megan had been in Christchurch on the day of the earthquake and was unsure how she was feeling. She quietly and without embellishment factually shared what actually happened to her and her group, folks for whom she felt responsible.
She had been in Lyttleton that morning, the epicentre of the quake and had picked up a group of american tourists who had come off a cruise ship. As she was driving she felt the ground shake. She described the two types of waves as they happened, the "P" (primary or push) wave pushing and pulling the ground and the "S" (shake or secondary) wave twisting and shaking the earth. She said it was like driving Fred Flintstone's car with square wheels. Realising what was happening she could see the road breaking up in front of her and decided that the only place to go to was an open space, a park she knew in Christchurch. Her group had no bags etc as presumably they were still on the ship. She literally stayed with her group for several hours in the middle of the park in Christchurch. She described driving through the liquefaction as the earth gave way. I have no doubts her quick thinking and her professionalism helped save her passengers from possible hurt and injury.
Whilst Megan justs gets on with her job now she is still living with the memory of such a terrifying experience. Other than the passengers on the bus and perhaps only the closest of her family and friends know what happened that day and only she knows how she is dealing with such memories.
I have just heard the lady minister speaking at the service just now and saying, "Have we not just witnessed humanity at its very best"?
Megan I think you in particular represent humanity at its best. I take my hat off to you and wish you every success as you move on in life and I know there must be a number of people who were so glad that it was you looking after them that day!
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