Tenby Powell is gearing up to take seven decommissioned St John ambulances to Ukraine.
The former Tauranga mayor's been in and out of the war-torn country since June 2022 and is heading back with more supplies, including the ambulances topped up with medical gear, to help those in need.
It's part of his ongoing effort to help the country through his chaity, Kiwi K.A.R.E, which provides 'critical aid and refugee evacuation services to the people of Ukraine”.
'I started the negotiation process with St John in about September last year after seeing the never ending need for medical supplies in Ukraine.
'They have been incredible to deal with, and knowing this will happen, I've been negotiating with a shipping company, Wallenius Wilhelmsen, to take them across to Singapore, and then on to Germany.”
At this point, Tenby and his team of eight will get them to Ukraine 'hopefully” by train, but if not, they will be 'driving them in” to the country.
'We'll take them out east. By the time they get there, we can only imagine there will have been a significant Ukrainian counter offensive, and these ambulances will be right up front of that.”
Tenby says from the outset, St John has been 'incredible to work with”.
Tenby inside one of the seven ambulances heading to Ukraine. Photo: Taylor Rice/SunLive.
'There's nothing easy about this. We flew down to Christchurch on Sunday and got to Tauranga on Tuesday to load up with what we can to take the ambulances up to Auckland.
'It's been incredibly challenging, but more than worth it for the people of Ukraine. Russians have targeted over 700 hospitals in the country, so any medical supplies such as these which we can get across are critical.”
The artillery nature of the warfare means the injuries on the front line are 'horrific”, according to Tenby.
This means supplies such as his ambulances, torniquets and Asherman Chest Seals being brought over are 'crucial”.
Practical, kind, and intelligent is just some of the words Tenby uses to describe the Ukranian people.
'Even watching the worst videos, its impossible to truly imagine the carnage that is happening in Ukraine.”
Tenby hopes to continue to use his military and business background to help those in need through Kiwi K.A.R.E.
For more information on the charity, or to donate, visit the GiveALittle page.
3 comments
Well done
Posted on 03-04-2023 15:11 | By Kancho
well done Tenby. It's a great pity you are not our Mayor as our councillors stuffed it up and should have been more careful about what they wished for. Now we have unellected tools of the government who are great and talk , borrowing and spending but not on delivery as all their talk remains but not much else
Special Person
Posted on 03-04-2023 17:44 | By k Smith
Tenby is a hero doing this work, representing our country like this Tenby should be given a knighthood. Anyone that can help out please do so with any donation you can on give a little. I have friends in Ukraine and will be helping them out later this year when I will be travelling to Japan and meeting some of them.
Great!
Posted on 06-04-2023 14:45 | By morepork
I never supported 10B as Mayor and I thought he was completely unsuited for that office. His military background should have been an asset, but he showed the bad side with temper and bullying. However, reading this, I have revised my opinion. This is outstanding and he deserves credit for doing it. I've wiped my slate as far as 10B is concerned.
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