Story: Search and rescue

Missing trampers

Three men and one woman wearing tramping gear standing on a river bed

From left: trampers Bert O’Keefe, Morva Williams, William (Bill) Sutch and Eric Hill look cheerful but thin after a two-week ordeal in the bush. The hunt for them in the Tararua Ranges in early 1933 involved 20 search teams and led to the creation of more formal search and rescue structures. It was agreed that the police would organise searches, liaising with local Federated Mountain Clubs.

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Alexander Turnbull Library, New Zealand Free Lance Collection (PAColl-0785)

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page:

Nancy Swarbrick and Dan Clearwater, 'Search and rescue - History', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/13208/missing-trampers (accessed 29 March 2024)

Story by Nancy Swarbrick and Dan Clearwater, published 24 Sep 2007, reviewed & revised 27 Jul 2023 with assistance from Dan Clearwater