New Zealand News

Rarely (if ever) are there two stories in the world press about New Zealand on the same day. So how weird is it to get two stories from that corner of the world, both involving amputees?

Item one: A mountaineer from New Zealand who lost both his legs to frostbite in 1982 is setting out to climb Mount Everest.

"Mark Inglis nearly died in 1982 when he lay in a snow cave near the peak of Mount Cook, New Zealand’s highest mountain, and waited 14 days to be rescued in an incident he now describes as "a very public hiccup to my climbing profession".

"Inglis said he will start climbing from the Tibetan side of Everest and aims to be at the base camp by the end of the first week of April, with the ascent of Everest possibly taking two months.

He will keep a daily public diary of the climb on www.legsoneverest.com.

Besides the personal satisfaction of the climb, Inglis hopes his expedition will raise several hundred thousand dollars for the Cambodia Trust’s limb centre in Kompong Chhnang which provides rehabilitation for landmine amputees, polio victims and other disabled people".

Well, he’s doing it for a good cause, best of luck, sir.

Item Two: New Zealand police made a routine traffic stop on a car that was traveling at 75mph. They were very surprised to find that the unlicensed driver didn’t have a license for a reason - the driver had no arms.

"The 32-year-old disabled driver was using one foot to steer and the other to operate the pedals when he was stopped in the Bay of Plenty on the west coast of the North Island".

Acting Senior Sergeant Deidre Lackfor said she had spoken to several officers with lengthy careers and none had heard of anything remotely like it.

She said she had nothing against people with disabilities driving but "obviously driving at a speed like that, arms or not, you’re just waiting for an accident".

I’m going out on a limb here, but I’d say this is a pretty odd day even for New Zealand.

Other Links to this Post

1. Blue Crab Boulevard » Blog Archive » This Will Make You Sick — Thursday, 25 May , 2006 @ 4:49 pm