Members of Te Awamutu Volunteer Fire Brigade’s Sky Tower Challenge team, front, from left, Helen Wilkes. Middle row, Addy Mark, Anna Alexander and Ngaia Henry with her granddaughter Amorangi. Back row, Dave Gray, Scott Stapleton, Jade Cochrane, Dave Shaw, Danny Smith, Kelly Bennetto and Ben Gulliver.
Things are heating up for the Te Awamutu Volunteer Fire Brigade just days out from this weekend’s 2023 Firefighter Sky Tower Challenge.
And, last Saturday, amid putting some final preparations in place, some of the 19-member challenge team were outside Pak’n Save fundraising for the climb.
The challenge, now in its 19th consecutive year, sees teams racing 328m up Auckland Sky Tower’s 51 flights of stairs – or 1103 individual steps – in full firefighting kit weighing 25kg to raise funds, and awareness for, Leukaemia and Blood Cancer New Zealand.
The organisation supports patients and their families living with a blood cancer, including leukaemia, lymphoma or myeloma or a related blood condition.
The Te Awamutu team has been fundraising through a range of means since March, by washing cars, selling sausages and covering silage bunkers with tyres for farmers.
At last check, as The News went to print, the Te Awamutu team had raised the seventh highest team total nationally – an $18,712 contribution to an overall national total of almost $1 million – $974,324 to be exact.
The Te Awamutu brigade has entered a team in the challenge since 2005 and this year the group is captained by Lisa Atkinson, who was named the brigade’s firefighter of the year at an awards night The News reported on in December which covered the last two years.
The challenge participants have been training together weekly since November.
“For four of our 19 members, it’s their first Firefighter Sky Tower Challenge,” Lisa said.
“We’ve really enjoyed the camaraderie found in training and fundraising together as a group, it’s allowed us to be active in the community as we also achieve fitness goals while climbing stairs, using gym stair machines, or getting outside and climbing mountains around us.”
Te Awamutu Volunteer Fire Brigade station officer Danny Smith is preparing for his 14th Firefighter Sky Tower Challenge.
“It’s a really enjoyable event, held for a very important cause.”
So, how long will it take one to ascend the Sky Tower’s 328m with 25kg of firefighting kit in tow then?
“There are some real athletes who can reach the top in about nine minutes, but I’d say – for most – 15 minutes or so is more likely.” Smith said.
Every day in New Zealand, eight people – both children and adults – are diagnosed with a blood cancer like leukaemia, lymphoma and myeloma.
This year, about 1000 firefighters from around New Zealand – and some from Australia – are set to make the climb.
Donations can still be made to the Te Awamutu challenge team at https://firefighterschallenge.org.nz/t/teawamutuvolunteerfirebrigadeteam
