Eyewitness

Mark Cunningham - known as Marko to the locals in Thailand - is a Kiwi from Upper Hutt. Marko survived the Boxing Day Tsunami in 2004 and joined local volunteers to collect bodies. These days Marko is an English teacher by day, and an Emergency Medical Technician by night with Bangkok's volunteer rescue charity. Nan Sirisamphan is in Bangkok to learn more about this altruistic Kiwi.

Marko is a 'Farang', a lone westerner amongst his Thai volunteer family. Under a layer of bulletproof jacket and an assortment of emergency radios, the Kiwi from Upper Hutt stands at approximately 6' tall. An English teacher by day, he switches to a life less ordinary by night.

'Marko' as his fellow Thai volunteers know him, is an Emergency Medical Technician and former body collector with Bangkok's volunteer rescue charity, The Ruamkatanyu Foundation. His duties vary from delivering babies in the back of taxis, to transporting sick elderly patients from squalid slums, to being the first on the scene of a murder investigation.

The rush was on to get all the bodies out of the sea - Mark (Marko) Cunningham, eyewitness, 2004 Boxing Day Tsunamis

In 2004, the Indian Ocean Tsunami devastated the south coast of Thailand. Without hesitation, Marko joined Ruamkatanyu in their efforts to collect the deceased. Spurred on by his sense of duty and a daily overdose of energy drinks, he spent his days in heat and humidity, collecting bloated bodies amongst wreckage that was once homes, stores and holiday retreats. Refrigerated vans, brought in to save the bodies from further deterioration, acted as a welcome solace from the heat - so much so that Marko would be found sleeping inside the van amongst the corpses.

After the tsunami, there was no leaving his newfound family and Marko was welcomed permanently into the Ruamkatanyu Foundation, where he continues to volunteer today.

In Bangkok, a city of more than 8 million people with a notorious reputation for gridlocked traffic, it is simply impossible for the underfunded public ambulances to cater to every emergency call. Instead they rely on the volunteer services, such as Ruamkatanyu to cover the majority of accidents.

The Ruamkatanyu Foundation is a reflection of modern Thai society in action - it stems from the Buddhist belief of creating spiritual merit through the idea of 'karma', i.e. whatever good you do in your current life will have a positive impact on either your life, next life or the spirit of your ancestors…

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Eyewitness producer Lisa Thompson hears the serendipitous story of Tony Forster; a New Zealander who was one of the first to cross through Checkpoint Charlie the night the Berlin Wall started coming down.

"My god, am I ever glad I extended that train pass...to have been through the Checkpoint at that time... I would not have missed it for anything."

- Tony Forster.

It's November 1989 and New Zealander Tony Forster was in love and on his way to Bavaria in Southern Germany to meet up with his girlfriend. But on the way, the 30-something assistant film director was persuaded by a fellow Kiwi to make a three-day detour to Berlin. By making that side-trip, Tony was about to inadvertently write himself into one of the most famous events of the 20th century.

"Martin was desperate to have a Kiwi visitor...I went there for three days but he complained constantly the whole time why wasn't I there for a month but on the third day I decided to go over and explore East Berlin."

By the time Tony arrived, Berlin had been a divided city for 28 years. On 13 August 1961, the German Democratic Republic leadership closed the border to West Berlin and established 8 crossing points to be used by West Berliners, citizens of the Federal Republic of Germany, and foreign nationals. East Berliners and GDR citizens were not permitted to cross the border.

But being a foreigner, Tony Forster was allowed to and on the advice of his friend Martin he decided to enter East Berlin on foot at Checkpoint Charlie, the city's best known crossing point.

It was the 9th of November, and despite the momentous events that would take place later that evening, Tony says there was no inkling that morning of what was to come. After spending the day sightseeing, Tony enjoyed a meal at a restaurant before preparing to cross back to West Berlin about 9 pm that evening.

He was completely unaware that earlier the same evening East Germans watching a televised government press conference were surprised to learn that they were now free travel to the West. And within hours, thousands, including a puzzled Tony, had descended on the crossings. "It wasn't until I was getting close to the Checkpoint when suddenly people started jogging past me to the Checkpoint, and certainly in my observation nobody would run in East Berlin, that was the first sign that something strange was going on..."…

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In August 1998, the Auckland Art Gallery was the scene of this country's first major art theft. An armed man burst in, threatening visitors and assaulting a security guard before making off with the 19th century painting Still on Top by French artist James Tissot worth around $2 million. Visitor Experience Manager Richard Wormley was on duty in the gallery when it happened.

In August 1998, the Auckland Art Gallery was the scene of this country's first major art theft. An armed man burst in, threatening visitors and assaulting a security guard before making off with the 19th century painting Still on Top by French artist James Tissot, worth around $2 million. Visitor Experience Manager Richard Wormley was on duty in the gallery when it happened.

"One of the security guards was requesting assistance because he could see somebody trying to remove an artwork from the wall. When I came around the corner, I could see that it wasn't quite that simple."

The man was carrying a weapon and had just used it to assault a security guard. A visitor in the gallery with the gunman immediately rang the police. Richard retreated and he and his staff began moving the public into side galleries, away from a likely escape route through the foyer.

"By the time I had cleared the foyer and turned around, he was pretty much right behind me."

With the weapon pointed at him, Richard was ordered to get down on the ground. After the gunman exited the front doors, Richard and the visitor who had rung the police followed him around to the rear of the building.

"He turned around and fired a shot over our heads into the trees in Albert Park.  At which point we both hit the ground pretty quick."

The gunman escaped on a motorbike clutching the painting under one arm. Only four minutes had passed since the drama began. Conservator Sarah Hillary was working upstairs in her lab when she got a phone call from the head of security. "He rang me up and said, 'Sarah, something terrible has happened.'

A confused Sarah made her way to the gallery to examine the scene and to determine any damage to a painting she assumed was still there. But it wasn't. It was gone.

As well as distressing, the theft was confusing for both gallery staff and police. On the surface, it did not seem like the work of highly professional art thieves, stealing to order. Richard Wormley said he could not even imagine a reason for the crime.

"I struggled to see how you could turn that work into a profit. It was really hard to understand what had been going through the thief's' head."

…

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Two artists share their stories of the personal connections and memories they have of their homes through the exhibition Something felt, something shared. What are the connections and relationships that we build with our homes, and what story can they tell about the people who once lived there? Kalya Ward and Gabrielle Amodeo share their experiences and personal connections.

"Suddenly there was emergency everywhere ... students themselves were divided over ethnic issues, we heard that in some schools students were killing each other. We heard the military were killing students. We could hear gunshots everywhere, we could see people injured, blood everywhere."

- Doris Niyonsaba, former child refugee from Burundi, Africa.

By definition the word "miracle" is often used to; characterise any beneficial event that is statistically unlikely but not contrary to the laws of nature, such as surviving a natural disaster ... survival of an illness diagnosed as terminal, escaping a life-threatening situation or 'beating the odds'.

In the case of Doris Niyonsaba and her family their story sounds like a miracle of survival, one where they beat all the odds. You see Doris comes from Burundi and like Rwanda, Burundi has endured civil war and genocidal conflict between Hutu and Tutsi since the 1960's.

Little is known about the Burundi community living in New Zealand. Doris Niyonsaba and her family would be M&M's, that's "minorities within minorities" as far as our country's Pan-African communities are concerned.

When you look up the Republic of Burundi online you find out that it's; one of the five poorest countries in the world with one of the lowest per capita GDPs of any nation in the world. The country has suffered from warfare, corruption and poor access to eduction ... According to the Global Hunger Index of 2013, Burundi has an indicator ratio of 38.8, earning the nation the distinction of being the hungriest country in the world in terms of percentage.

But growing up in the tiny country that looks like a slice of cake sitting between the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania and Rwanda, Doris remembers a childhood full of rich, cultural experience. Burundi is also known as the heart of Africa, covering an area of 27,834 square kilometers. It's a region of lakes and valleys, lush and beautiful, rich in resources. By all accounts Burundi should not be poor…

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Roland de Bruyne is an elderly Malaysian Aucklander and a survivor of the infamous Changi Prison during the Japanese occupation of Singapore during WW2. Last year his children discovered letters and photos taken during his internment on a camera smuggled into the prison. Lynda Chanwai-Earle is in Auckland to meet Roland, now 91, to hear his incredible story of survival.

'Help is on the way' - pamphlets distributed after Allies liberated Singapore in 1945

"Weeds can't be killed, they can survive anything!" - Jean de Bruyne, daughter of Roland de Bruyne, Changi/Sime Road Internment Camp Survivor.

The dining table is littered with Roland de Bruyne's memorabilia. The objects are imbued with grave meaning; faded love letters to his sweetheart Low Swan Tin on crumpled Australian Red Cross paper, albums of sepia photographs, British Army pamphlets, a fragment of rusted bomber shrapnel wrapped in tissue.

When Singapore fell to the Japanese on 15 February 1942, the British had prayed that relief forces might arrive, but it wasn't meant to be.

During the Fall of Singapore that year the Imperial Japanese Army detained around 3000 civilians in Changi Prison, built to house only 600. The British Army Barracks nearby became a prisoner of war camp, housing around 50,000 allied British and Australian troops. Changi Prison and the nearby Prisoner of War (POW) camp were rife with sickness and death. 73 years later and a world away in Auckland, one survivor tells me his story.

Roland de Bruyne is Eurasian, 91 years old this year, born in 1924 in Penang, Malaysia. He was imprisoned by the Japanese Military, along with his entire family and 3000 other civilians in Changi/Sime Road Internment Camp in Singapore during the Second World War simply because they were Eurasian.

They were stripped of clothing and belongings, starved and forced into hard labor. The tiny black and white photos that Roland shows me were taken by him on a camera smuggled into the prison. In one photo, almost naked, Roland's friend is a skeletal figure in a loin-cloth. This was all the clothing they were allowed.

Miraculously Roland's whole family, all except one, survived. Roland's little brother Jimmy died from dysentery at the age of five during the war. Jean notes that perhaps a small mercy that little Jimmy died before the family were interned in Changi. "It's one of the ravages of war."

Roland's daughter Jean de Bruyne states proudly that "You can't kill weeds." Jean tells me her father is remarkably healthy for a 91 year old, let alone a survivor of Changi. If the prison ordeal couldn't kill him then almost nothing would. The tenacity to live runs strong within the de Bruyne family…

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Archived audio courtesy of The New Zealand Archive of Film, Television and Sound - Contains commentary of New Zealand's first-ever cricket test victory: against the West Indies in Auckland on 13 March 1956. A short interview is heard with John Reid, the New Zealand captain, at Eden Park after the test.

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Archived audio courtesy of The New Zealand Archive of Film, Television and Sound - Contains commentary of New Zealand's first-ever cricket test victory: against the West Indies in Auckland on 13 March 1956. A short interview is heard with John Reid, the New Zealand captain, at Eden Park after the test.

"We weren't professionals you see.  There was no such thing as a professional in those days."

- John R. Reid

New Zealand and England have been competing against each other in Test Cricket since 1929. To date, the two sides have played 99 tests, with England winning 47, New Zealand eight and 44 drawn. And while the two sides have keenly contested recent Tests, it hasn't always been the case.

On March 28 1955, England (then known as the Marylebone Cricket Club) bowled New Zealand out for 26 in their second innings at Eden Park in Auckland. It has been described as our 'darkest day' in cricket and it is a score that still stands today as a record test low.

For former New Zealand batsman and bowler John Richard Reid, looking back sixty years to that day is something he says he'd rather avoid. "Do we have to go round to that? I didn't think we'd get bowled out for 26. Can I whisper that?" he says with a chuckle. "I don't remember much else and I don't want to remember much else either!" However, his twinkling eyes tell otherwise and rafts of memories are soon revealed.

Fresh from winning the 1954-55 Ashes series against Australia, England travelled to New Zealand with a formidable team. Amongst the players was Frank "Typhoon" Tyson, who at the time was regarded as one of the fastest bowlers ever seen in cricket.

John Reid says the New Zealand players had never seen the like. While New Zealand posted a competitive score in the first innings of 200, anchored by 73 from Reid, and held England to a lead of only 46, they were laid bare in the second. "I had problems with Tyson... the first ball I faced him I had my bat going back and the ball went past me...I was not out overnight but the morning of the next day I had guys throwing it at me from halfway down the pitch to quicken up my reactions."

Another player who tormented the New Zealanders was Bob Appleyard, who took four for seven in the second innings and seven for 45 for the match. "We knew they were a good side... top rated players. We just had to go out and do as best we could," John says. "But we weren't used to it because we'd play club cricket, representative cricket and then a gap as they'd come over in March sometime and our season would have finished end of January. Then we'd have a touring team with the fastest bowlers in the world!"…

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Lynda Chanwai-Earle meets Red Cross and local legend Margaret Rankin. An Eastbourne resident, Margaret will never forget one of the worst storms ever to hit our coasts. Witnessing the sinking of the Wahine in 1968, Margaret was determined that her community would be prepared for any disaster in the future.

"We have seven fundamental principles that guide us in all that we do, whether it's delivering a meal in Rotorua or providing medical help to a family in Syria. These principles are our lifeline, connecting us with the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement and the 187 National Societies throughout the world."

- The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement

The Red Cross in New Zealand is currently celebrating its centenary and right now helping the people of Vanuatu.

"New Zealand Red Cross has been part of the fabric of our country for nearly a century. In 1914, at the start of the First World War (WWI), ad hoc Red Cross groups began raising money and sending medical supplies to New Zealand troops overseas. During the wartime effort for both WWI and the Second World War (WWII), New Zealand Red Cross groups worked in conjunction with the Order of St John as a joint council."

Our own Civil Defence movement also grew out of the work of the Red Cross. The fundamental principles include humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity and universality.

They're certainly values that Eastbourne resident Margaret Rankine grew up with. Her father and mother were both deeply involved in the war effort during the 1940's and after finishing school at Queen Margaret's she decided to go into nursing.

Margaret became a VAD (Volunteer Aid Detachment) with the Red Cross and it was here she did her training, including in hospitals. Margaret met and fell in love with a likeminded man in her late husband Ian Rankine. Both were heavily involved with Red Cross work when they bought their family property in York Bay, Eastbourne, with its fantastic panoramic view of Wellington Harbour.

Young Margaret Rankine (centre) as a Red Cross VAD (Volunteer Aid Detachment)

This was the dream home for Margaret, Ian and their two young children but then early one morning on the 10th April 1968, as the family prepared for a normal working day they became witnesses of one of the worst storms ever to hit New Zealand's coasts. Two violent weather fronts merged over Wellington to create the extreme extratropical cyclone conditions of the Wahine storm…

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It's nearly 50 years since Marlborough whalers J. A. Perano and Company harpooned their last whale in New Zealand waters. Peter Perano reflects on what it was like to be a third generation whaler. Archived audio courtesy of The New Zealand Archive of Film, Television and Sound - Whale Hunt, 1955 and Spectrum 918 / 919 The Last of the Whale Hunters, 1996 featuring Charlie and Joe Heberley.

Gunner Trevor Norton firing a harpoon towards a humpback whale just to the left of the chaser's bow. Peter Perano says Trevor was an ace gunner and one of J. A. Perano and Company's best - image taken by and courtesy of Peter Perano

"Quite angry actually... I mean it was bloody well unnecessary... they had a license but it meant nothing to them" - Peter Perano

After a record whaling season in 1960, with 226 humpback whales caught in Cook Strait and the Marlborough Sounds by J. A. Perano and Company, whaler Peter Perano was understandably looking forward to the year ahead. However, it was never to be repeated. With numbers so low, it was only four years later that more than 170 years of New Zealand whaling history came to an end on December 21st 1964, with the last whale harpooned in our waters from a New Zealand-owned ship.

Image: Gunner Trevor Norton and driver Joe Perano (Jnr) on board the chaser Narwhal - courtesy Peter Perano

"We were devastated," says Charlie Heberley, who whaled with Peter's father Joseph. "We got blamed here in New Zealand for killing the whales out."

"Well let me give you an example; in 1960 we took the record number of whales here in New Zealand... that same season the Japanese and the Russians took 42,000 whales down in the Antarctic and that's only what they reported."

While an emotive subject, the whaling history of Marlborough stretched over generations and made a significant contribution to New Zealand's economy. Whale oil was used for lighting and lubrication, as well as in the manufacture of products such as rope, paint and soaps. Whale meat was also used for human and pet consumption and much of the blood and bone by-product wound up feeding the market gardens of Pukekohe.

However, Peter Perano says the Marlborough whalers were committed to the survival of the whales they were hunting as their livelihood depended on it. The whalers were prohibited from taking right whales and while they didn't have a quota for humpbacks, they were dictated to by the factory at Fishing Bay which could only process three whales a day…

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Seventy five years ago several hundred Chinese women and children arrived in New Zealand, fleeing the Japanese invasion of China. These were the wives and children of the Chinese men already here. The 75th anniversary of their arrival in New Zealand is being celebrated in Auckland. Lynda Chanwai-Earle and Justin Gregory hear from some of these eyewitnesses.

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