Volunteers

Stories of the Helpers

Luis Paterson

The earthquakes hit Canterbury with a sudden and unforgiving ferocity, leaving many injured, separated from family, without homes, electricity, food, or water. The scale of this disaster put a significant strain on official services, who were unable to help everyone affected in a timely and efficient manner. In the aftermath of the earthquakes, numerous Cantabrians stepped up to help those in need, whether within the city centre or in their local communities. This page details three major sets of volunteers: the unofficial spontaneous volunteers who first respond in a crisis, the Student Volunteer Army, and the Farmy Army. Alongside other volunteer organisations and thousands of individual volunteers, these groups exemplified the character of Christchurch in the aftermath of the earthquakes.

Spontaneous Volunteers

Spontaneous volunteers are distinguished from professional responders and volunteer organisations by being entirely unofficial: ordinary people who found themselves in a position to work alongside USAR in the recovery effort of an emergency. Because the 4 September earthquake occurred at 4.35am, virtually all North Cantabrians became spontaneous volunteers to some degree – they checked on their family, friends, and neighbours, cleared driveways of liquefaction, and dug long-drops until the nation’s portaloos could be mustered. The timing and close proximity of the 22 February earthquake to the central city – striking just 10km away and 5km deep in Lyttleton at 12.51pm – called for more traditional spontaneous volunteers. These citizens were survivors themselves who stayed on the scene at the CTV Building, Pyne Gould Corporation, Cashel Mall, and other sites across the city, acting instinctively to save others.

Spontaneous Volunteers at Cashel Mall

Spontaneous volunteers search for survivors at Cashel Mall, 22 February 2011

Credit: John Kirk-Anderson, Fairfax Media New Zealand. Source: https://quakestudies.canterbury.ac.nz/store/object/88239

The Student Volunteer Army

The Student Volunteer Army (SVA) began as a truly spontaneous response to the 4 September earthquake. Sam Johnson, then an undergraduate law student at UC, created a Facebook event on the night of earthquake titled “Student Volunteer Base for the Earthquake Clean Up.” Overnight, approximately 3700 people had shown interest in the event, and 2500 of this number became active volunteers. The 22 February earthquake served as a second call to action for students whose western suburbs residences were not affected as badly by liquefaction as those in the east. After receiving official sanction from Civil Defence two days after the quake, the SVA coordinated squadrons of 3-10 people who were dispatched in response to individual requests and monitored through the GeoOP app. SVA leaders helped to set up an equivalent organization in Japan after the March 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. SVA volunteers assisted in the fallout of Hurricane Sandy in 2012 in the United States, and the Army exists to this day as the charity Student Volunteer Army Foundation.

SVA 26 Feb 11 Avonside

SVA Volunteers clear silt in Avonside, 26 February 2011

Credit: Neil Macbeth. Source: https://quakestudies.canterbury.ac.nz/store/object/135370

Sam Johnson and Kohan McNab at SVA Lunch Event 1 March 11

SVA leader Sam Johnson and UCSA President Kohan McNab at a SVA lunch 1 March 2011

Credit: Neil Macbeth. Source: https://quakestudies.canterbury.ac.nz/store/object/135431

The Farmy Army

The 4 September earthquake hit farmers the hardest in terms of sheer damage. Its epicentre 40km west of Christchurch near the rural community of Darfield caused fissures across multiple fields, warped rural roads, and cut power to major dairying infrastructure. Farmers rallied together to protect lives, livestock, and livelihoods – those who had generators and intact milking sheds pooled resources to ensure that cows did not go unmilked. Federated Farmers helped to organise the initial response and later recovery. This volunteer effort laid the groundwork for the 4000 strong Farmy Army (FA) that came to Christchurch’s aid in the 22 February earthquake and later aftershocks. The FA worked alongside the SVA in clearing silt and delivering food and water to isolated residential areas such as the eastern suburbs of Bexley, Burwood, and Aranui. The FA’s heavy machinery enabled them to pave the way for shovel-wielding teams and generous donations of meat and wool made a substantial difference to those worst impacted. Like the SVA, the FA continues as an active voluntary organisation which most recently assisted in the 2023 Cyclone Gabrielle response.

John Hartnell Machinery

Federated Farmers Spokesman John Hartnell pictured with machinery used by the Farmy Army, Christchurch Press, 9 March 2012, A17

Credit: Fairfax Media. Source: https://quakestudies.canterbury.ac.nz/store/object/265599

Resources

  • Christchurch Press 25 February 2011: Section A, Page 6 – three articles detailing the rescue efforts of spontaneous volunteers. "Amputation only option," urologists Lydia Johns Putra, Bryce Curran, and Stuart Philip perform an emergency amputation of Brian Coker’s leg at the Pyne Gould Corporation building (the surgery is also detailed in Christchurch Star 26 February 2011 A6). "Mystery of baker pulled from rubble," spontaneous volunteers work alongside professional responders to rescue Shane Tomlin from Trocadero Bakery. Tomlin was pictured mid-rescue (Christchurch Press 23 February 2011: Section O, Page 3) but later died in hospital. "'I thought I have air and room; I can survive this,'" Australian Channel Nine crewmembers locate and assist in the rescue of Ann Bodkin from the PGC Building.
  • Canta Volume 81 Issue 19, 20 September 2010 – This issue of UC student magazine Canta, published after the 4 September 2010 earthquake, includes a broad report on the quake’s impact on the city (pages 14-21), including a comparison to the January earthquake in Haiti of the same year (page 16). The efforts of student volunteers in general appear alongside an earthquake by the numbers sidebar (page 17), and Sam Johnson recounts the how the spontaneous volunteer group that would become the Student Volunteer Army formed (page 24).
  • Canta Volume 82 Issue 1, 23 March 2011 – The second issue of Canta published after the 22 February earthquake, which features a special story on the SVA (pages 12-19). Utilizing interviews from key SVA organisers Sam Johnson, Chris “CJ” Duncan, Tom Young, Jonas Bergler, Jade Rutherford, and Gina Scandrett, the story presents a narrative of how the SVA built on the groundwork of the 4 September 2010 response to successfully manage thousands of student volunteers. Key statistics are featured on page 15 and a “Day in the Life of the Volunteer Army” on page 18.
  • Christchurch Press 10 September 2010: Section B, Page 10 – Three articles detailing the effect of the 4 September earthquake on rural communities and the volunteer effort that would form the base of the Farmy Army. "Earthquake bowls silos like skittles," farmer Dudley Cridge from Kirwee and Federated Farmers North Canterbury Chairman Murray Rowlands inspect fallen grain silos and reflect on the quake’s impact. "Farmers counting cost," and "Praise for farmers' quick generosity," Federated Farmers and Fonterra organise assistance and distribute donated generators to the 150 farms damaged.
  • Christchurch Press 11 March 2011: Section A, Page 14 | "Farmy Army put in the hard yards." – Federated Farmers spokesman John Hartnell reflects on the Farmy Army’s efforts and prepares for a ‘final cleanup’ of the city streets over the weekend of March 18-20. The Army, coordinated from its headquarters at Canterbury Agricultural Park, consists of 4000 volunteers who engaged in 28,000 man and machine hours to date. The FA also transported 5.5 million litres of water from Silver Fern Farms Islington reservoir to Christchurch.
  • Christchurch Press 17 June 2011: Section A, Page 12 | "Farms spared major damage again." – Farmers prepare to mobilise the Farmy Army again to assist the eastern suburbs after the 6 June 2011 aftershock. The Farmy Army and Student Volunteer Army closely coordinate their response in Operation De-silt. The 1200 initial Farmy Army volunteers hand over the effort to the SVA after the students complete their exams (for details see Christchurch Press 24 June 2011: Section A, Page 13 "Mountain of silt tackled,").
  • Christchurch Press 23 February 2012: One Year On: Taking Stock Special Feature, Page 2 | "Rising to meet the challenge." – Reflection on volunteers for the anniversary of the 22 February earthquake. Sam Johnson is named Young New Zealander of the Year for his leadership of the SVA and subsequent assistance in Japan.

General Searches:

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