August 15, 2026 • 15 mins
Former NZSAS soldier Mark Law became a national hero on December 9 2019, following the Whakaari-White Island eruption.
After learning of the eruption, Mark, alongside his colleagues, flew to the island, comforted the injured and flew 12 stranded survivors home.
Mark's actions ultimately saved lives, and he was awarded New Zealand's second highest bravery honour, the Bravery Star, for his actions - however his company, Kahu NZ, was charged and fined by WorkSafe for past tours on the island.
He wrote about the experience in his new memoir - Lucky You're Tough.
"The rest of the recovery, the rest of the day are pretty clear, so I've been able to recall that easily."
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Sunday Session podcast with Francesca Rudkin
from News talks'b.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
December the ninth, twenty nineteenth. Former NZSAS soldier Mark Law
became a national hero after learning that for Cai White
Island had erupted. Mark led a daring and dangerous rescue
mission alongside his colleagues. Mark flew to the island, comforted
the injured, and flew twelve stranded survivors home, Make's actions
(00:33):
ultimately saving lives after authorities decided no official rescue would
be sent. Mark was awarded New Zealand's second highest bravery honor,
the Bravery Staff, for his actions that day. However, the
less than twelve months later, Mark's company, Carhou New Zealand,
was charged and fined by Work Safe for past tours
on the island. Mark has written about his incredible life
and that day in his book Lucky, You're Tough and
(00:56):
Mark Law is with Me now.
Speaker 3 (00:57):
Good morning, Yeah, good morning, friendship.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
Lovely to talk to you. I want to ask first up, though,
why did you write this book, Ron Crosby, Because I
don't think it's because you wanted to write a book
about yourself and your life.
Speaker 3 (01:13):
Yeah, you're right there. No, I wasn't.
Speaker 4 (01:16):
I wasn't sort of that keen on writing a book
or a story about any parts of my life.
Speaker 3 (01:23):
Really, it was just Ron's persistence that.
Speaker 4 (01:27):
Following the outcome with work Safe, that you know, he
really wanted to help and he thought by putting his
good skills to work and writing a book it would
be He thought it would be helpful. And so he
was on to me for a little while and he
sort of wore me down and his wife Magie. So
in the end, you know, he sort of convinced me
(01:50):
and thought that you know, the public should would like
to know, particularly about what island and then what followed
with work Safe. But he thought that, you know, over
ten years proceeding there, Ted Linton heard a few stories
as him and I sort of did various things and say, yeah,
thought I've got a book.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
Oh my goodness, there are a few stories, that's for sure.
But look, let's start with Sakari White Island and that rescue, because,
as you said, the book is in part a response
to the Work Safe penalty of almost two hundred thousand
dollars on your helicopter business, and that related to who's
past tours on Forakari. How has that decision, one that
(02:29):
shocked a lot of New Zealanders impacted you as a
person and the business.
Speaker 4 (02:37):
The other decision was when it finally you know settled
and we were you know, the it was. It's had
a well, I continue to have quite an impact. I
think me not so much. You know, you just accept
that some things you just you can't push forward on
Some things you can sort of you know, move left.
Speaker 3 (02:58):
Or right and progress.
Speaker 4 (03:00):
But the the fine itself, it causes an issue, particularly
when you're wanting to improve your business and buyer money
and do things like that. Have you got something sitting
in the background as far as some checks go with finances,
it's a real hurdle. So it has been a problem
(03:20):
since then. And so yeah, it'd be good to get
that one off your back. Obviously, you just you know,
you know, put your head down and work hard. But
it's a big number, and it also is you know,
it's really it's a problem, you know, when you want
to try and grow your business financially.
Speaker 2 (03:39):
Mike, what are your memories of that day December ninth?
Speaker 4 (03:46):
Pretty clear, pretty vivid. I recall most things. Yeah, as
you know, you get older, you sort of forget some
finer points, some different aspects, but now pretty clear on
the day, I can. I can recall, you know, when
I saw the plume as I was driving back down
to Fokotani. Yeah, you can clear remember, you know, flying
(04:07):
out from Fokatani fifty k's out towards the island and
seeing the plume sort of eight nineteen thousand feet dark.
I can saw a coil real clearly, you know, flying
into the crater and flying around looking at the broken helicopter,
and then you know, and then all of a sudden
realizing that there was people there, and I can clearly
see the figures of people and then making them out.
(04:31):
So the rest of the recovery and the rest of
the day pretty clear.
Speaker 3 (04:36):
So I have been able to recall that you know.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
Easily, and you've written about it really so well in
the book. Did you have any idea of when you
were traveling out to the island what you would find.
Speaker 4 (04:48):
No, I was expecting to find Timbarrow's helicopter because I
knew that one hadn't made it off. He had another
machine out there that had just got off before the eruption.
So I knew there was going to be a helicopter there.
I wasn't one hundred percent sure about the boats. Obviously,
it's towards the beginning of a busy season, so you
know there's maybe two three boats max. So I was
(05:12):
expecting a boat. But other than that, no, I had
no idea.
Speaker 2 (05:18):
Other people involved have spoken about your leadership on that day,
just your calmness in such a horrific environment. Where did
that come from? Where does that come from? Is that
your nz sas training and experience kicking in.
Speaker 3 (05:34):
There's a bit of that. It's probably quite a bit
of that.
Speaker 4 (05:37):
But you know, you you should have shaped up.
Speaker 3 (05:41):
I've been shaped up from the beginning.
Speaker 4 (05:44):
You know, as it's growing up, there's lots of different
things you experience, and I think you know, once you
sort of get into trouble get out of trouble, you
sort of you know, start to round out a little
bit and you can sort of handle things a little
bit differently when you're first either scared or first the
bit of blood or break a leg or some wins
and losses and stead of that went through into the
(06:04):
regiment and you know there's you're under lots of pressure
with training so lots of things go on, so that
just sort of like starts to polish that up, and
then a lot of things that happened there after.
Speaker 3 (06:17):
Once I was out of the regiment.
Speaker 4 (06:19):
There's seen a lot of pressure of events, and yeah,
you learn to get more done when you're you know,
in that space calm. I mean it's sometimes it's you know,
it's hard to think that you could be calm, but
things go better if you're settled into you just you know,
diligently or quickly working through constructive you know thoughts, plans
(06:43):
and what you're going to do and what you're not
going to do.
Speaker 2 (06:45):
Were you surprised there was going to be no official
air rescue on the.
Speaker 4 (06:48):
Day, Yeah, yeah, I was, I think in New Zealand,
you know, over run default. So you know, you break
your leg down a bank and roll your car. You're
ring the rescue the couples and they arrive, but the
reality of it is depending on the severity of the
nature of the event and our case as a disaster
like that, and there's a lot of perceived risk and danger.
(07:12):
You know, then you start to see the other side
of the aircraft or help coming. You know, it comes
down to whatever's in there and their stand up ready
prosiegures or the procedures of helping people, et cetera. And yeah,
when they didn't turn up, I don't have much time
to think about it. But thereafter, obviously I've had a
(07:32):
lot of time to think about it. So you know,
I just for me, it's just we're a peacetime country.
You know, not a lot of people there are going
to react and get up to the pointy end of
pressure or we lives might be at risk. And that's certainly,
you know, other than the police, you're probably not going
(07:53):
to see much of that.
Speaker 3 (07:53):
In New Zealand.
Speaker 2 (07:54):
I mean, I can't imagine anyone in New Zealand. I
don't think anyone in New Zealand would have been comfortable
leaving people there without giving them the opportunity to survive.
And that's why you went, wasn't it.
Speaker 3 (08:06):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (08:06):
No, absolutely, and I reckon most New Zealanders would go
or want to be there, just it was difficult because
obviously the best way to get there was the Helles.
We had a couple of Helles when we got on
the island, and you could see the people when you were,
you know, right there beside them and you could see,
you know, they're just terribly hopeless and just so needed someone.
(08:28):
You know, most New Zealanders faced with that or sitting
beside them or holding them or caring for them. Yeah,
they're definitely going to you know, all they want to
do is get them to a better place.
Speaker 3 (08:38):
You know. So I don't have any doubt.
Speaker 4 (08:41):
It's just you know, we're fifty k's off New Zealand
and interrupting you know, volcanoes. So yeah, it was it
was just fortunately that we're all home and we had
the helles there.
Speaker 3 (08:54):
They went out on another job and we could go
Would you do it again? Yep?
Speaker 2 (08:59):
Yeah, I'd love to talk to you a little bit
more about this military service that you did. You joined
the military after leaving school. Where did your interest in
the military service come from?
Speaker 4 (09:10):
I was pretty keen on the military yet as a
young fellow, were always playing body colboys and Indians, and and
then you know, we were I was always sort of
fascinated with hearing a few stories from Grandad and and
you know, I was always hunting, love guns and the
and then.
Speaker 3 (09:28):
We sort of got involved.
Speaker 4 (09:29):
You know, then you start reading things a lot of
commanding magazines at the time, and and then it was
sort of got exposed to I sort of really liked
the Special Force type things at L A. D G
and the guys, you know, the Clippers and World War I,
the first part of the SPUs and and then some
of the stories coming out of Africa Slew Scales and
(09:51):
and the obviously, and then we not long after we
had a TV. I remember seeing the the se s
rescue the Osages and the Ranian embassy sege in London
and I was like, oh man, this is this is
where I want to go. So there was always a focus,
you know, following all that sort of those reads and.
Speaker 2 (10:08):
Watches, and you were determined to join the New Zealand essay. Yes,
and at the age of eighteen you're the youngest candidate
at that point to finish the selection course. Is the
selection course the hardest thing that you've done mentally and physically.
Speaker 3 (10:24):
Physically, It'll be one of them. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (10:27):
Mentally it would have been fine, but my feet fell apart.
And so that was a really good test of you know,
the mental side of sort of resilience, that's for sure.
I think in business later on and family and issues
that you know, all New Zealanders are exposed to. I
think that that probably got some of the biggest mental challenges.
Speaker 3 (10:49):
But yeah, no, it's pretty hearty.
Speaker 4 (10:51):
The New Zealand's Essays selection is definitely heartier than the
British one I did. Yeah, it's not a lot of
food there. It's pretty relentless. They've got some really good
activities that sort of can really sort of grind you down.
Speaker 3 (11:07):
And it's at the long days.
Speaker 4 (11:09):
You certainly got to like work and you're sort of
want to like, you know, you've got to like being
uncomfortable to get through that.
Speaker 3 (11:15):
You sure do.
Speaker 2 (11:17):
I was fascinated reading about the jobs you had in
civilian security, first set and Gola for a diamond trading company.
And I'm going to be honest with you, Mark, it
was a little bit like, you know, it sounded like
a film script.
Speaker 3 (11:30):
Really, yeah, it is a blood diamond.
Speaker 4 (11:34):
I think someone's said to me, that's like that bloody
It's like blood diamond film.
Speaker 3 (11:40):
Actually it's it.
Speaker 2 (11:43):
Sure felt like the wild West out there.
Speaker 3 (11:44):
What was that like? Ah, yeah, it was a while
where you know, there's a war going on.
Speaker 4 (11:50):
You obviously didn't see that every day in Lawanda, and
we were working. But then when we moved out of
Lawanda up into the North area to fly cashup and
bring diamonds back, that's when you saw the sort of
the military side of it. But in Lwanda it was
incredibly lawless and there's a huge amounts of you know,
death and injury going on there as well. So yeah,
(12:14):
it was a very you know, millions of people stacked
into a tiny place. You know, we were carrying a
lot of cash around, up to a couple of million
in the car on the vehicles, you know, and then
transporting the equivalents and diamonds between safe houses and Rwanda
out to the airport to transport back to UK or Belgium,
and then moving cash up country and little planes and
(12:35):
you know, meeting up with our buyers up there with little, tiny,
little house compounds and they just fled out buying diamonds
just twenty four hours a day. Yeah, so there's a
lot of people wanted to They knew you carried cash
or diamonds was you know, so there was a lot
of people that wanted to have them more than you
and that was always going to involve gunfights. So there's
(12:56):
a lot of cot cash and transit operations went down
from numerous other entities there that were always getting hit
and then you just sort of could be into receiving
serious crime there just by being you know, white or
Westerner going about business. So yeah, it was. It was
very lawless when I was there.
Speaker 2 (13:14):
When the book is filled with a lot of life
threatening events that you went through, but a lot of
them you would expect in the situations you're in, like
what you were just describing. However, there is one event
in here, and I'm going to thank you for the
photos because they kind of gruesome, and I think you
know what I'm talking about, and that's when you were
doing adventure racing and you were doing the God's Own
Race and you got yourself a flesh eating disease.
Speaker 3 (13:38):
Yeah, that was that is pretty gross, Mark, Yeah, that was.
It is gross.
Speaker 4 (13:46):
It was pretty nari in the end. So yeah, I
mean nearly took my life just about top of my leg.
But thank goodness for you know, amazing staff and Tiano
and Vicrgo and lastly and dune Ed and you know
sort of kept me alive and you know, keep me intact.
But yeah, that's brutal, that neckotizing fish.
Speaker 2 (14:07):
How long does it take to recover from it?
Speaker 4 (14:11):
It took me a couple of weeks in hospital before
us moved up to white Keaddow and then I went
through a skin graft there, so I was in there
for about a week, got out at home, and yeah,
it took a long time for the sort of swelling
to go down, and I was on crutches for a while,
and so you know, it probably took a good year.
I reckon before you need the skin healed properly and
(14:34):
you're be able to get around. So yeah, it was
a it was a long one. I think I was
probably reasonably mobile without the crutches in about two months.
But it was just it was just I had to
keep a sock on for a year, just the full
sort of up to your knee sock, just to try
and smooth out the skin and help the skin graft.
Speaker 3 (14:53):
So but you know, it was, it was. It was brutal.
Speaker 2 (14:57):
Mark just one of the amazing stories in the book.
It's so much that I haven't even been able to
touch on it is. It is definitely a book filled
with many many good yarns and incredible So thank you
so much for agreeing to write it with Ron Crosby
and love you to talk to you. Thank you so much, thank.
Speaker 3 (15:12):
You very much for having me on fans having last day.
Speaker 2 (15:15):
Same to you. Mark's book is called Lucky You're Tough
and it is in stores this Tuesday. As I said,
some incredible stories in there, and yes he has very
good recollection of what happened on the Curry White Island
that day as well. That's all in there.
Speaker 1 (15:29):
For more from the Sunday session with Francesca Rudkin, listen
live to News Talks it'd be from nine am Sunday,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
You're listening to the Sunday Session podcast with Francesca Rudkin
from News talks'b.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
December the ninth, twenty nineteenth. Former NZSAS soldier Mark Law
became a national hero after learning that for Cai White
Island had erupted. Mark led a daring and dangerous rescue
mission alongside his colleagues. Mark flew to the island, comforted
the injured, and flew twelve stranded survivors home, Make's actions
(00:33):
ultimately saving lives after authorities decided no official rescue would
be sent. Mark was awarded New Zealand's second highest bravery honor,
the Bravery Staff, for his actions that day. However, the
less than twelve months later, Mark's company, Carhou New Zealand,
was charged and fined by Work Safe for past tours
on the island. Mark has written about his incredible life
and that day in his book Lucky, You're Tough and
(00:56):
Mark Law is with Me now.
Speaker 3 (00:57):
Good morning, Yeah, good morning, friendship.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
Lovely to talk to you. I want to ask first up, though,
why did you write this book, Ron Crosby, Because I
don't think it's because you wanted to write a book
about yourself and your life.
Speaker 3 (01:13):
Yeah, you're right there. No, I wasn't.
Speaker 4 (01:16):
I wasn't sort of that keen on writing a book
or a story about any parts of my life.
Speaker 3 (01:23):
Really, it was just Ron's persistence that.
Speaker 4 (01:27):
Following the outcome with work Safe, that you know, he
really wanted to help and he thought by putting his
good skills to work and writing a book it would
be He thought it would be helpful. And so he
was on to me for a little while and he
sort of wore me down and his wife Magie. So
in the end, you know, he sort of convinced me
(01:50):
and thought that you know, the public should would like
to know, particularly about what island and then what followed
with work Safe. But he thought that, you know, over
ten years proceeding there, Ted Linton heard a few stories
as him and I sort of did various things and say, yeah,
thought I've got a book.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
Oh my goodness, there are a few stories, that's for sure.
But look, let's start with Sakari White Island and that rescue, because,
as you said, the book is in part a response
to the Work Safe penalty of almost two hundred thousand
dollars on your helicopter business, and that related to who's
past tours on Forakari. How has that decision, one that
(02:29):
shocked a lot of New Zealanders impacted you as a
person and the business.
Speaker 4 (02:37):
The other decision was when it finally you know settled
and we were you know, the it was. It's had
a well, I continue to have quite an impact. I
think me not so much. You know, you just accept
that some things you just you can't push forward on
Some things you can sort of you know, move left.
Speaker 3 (02:58):
Or right and progress.
Speaker 4 (03:00):
But the the fine itself, it causes an issue, particularly
when you're wanting to improve your business and buyer money
and do things like that. Have you got something sitting
in the background as far as some checks go with finances,
it's a real hurdle. So it has been a problem
(03:20):
since then. And so yeah, it'd be good to get
that one off your back. Obviously, you just you know,
you know, put your head down and work hard. But
it's a big number, and it also is you know,
it's really it's a problem, you know, when you want
to try and grow your business financially.
Speaker 2 (03:39):
Mike, what are your memories of that day December ninth?
Speaker 4 (03:46):
Pretty clear, pretty vivid. I recall most things. Yeah, as
you know, you get older, you sort of forget some
finer points, some different aspects, but now pretty clear on
the day, I can. I can recall, you know, when
I saw the plume as I was driving back down
to Fokotani. Yeah, you can clear remember, you know, flying
(04:07):
out from Fokatani fifty k's out towards the island and
seeing the plume sort of eight nineteen thousand feet dark.
I can saw a coil real clearly, you know, flying
into the crater and flying around looking at the broken helicopter,
and then you know, and then all of a sudden
realizing that there was people there, and I can clearly
see the figures of people and then making them out.
(04:31):
So the rest of the recovery and the rest of
the day pretty clear.
Speaker 3 (04:36):
So I have been able to recall that you know.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
Easily, and you've written about it really so well in
the book. Did you have any idea of when you
were traveling out to the island what you would find.
Speaker 4 (04:48):
No, I was expecting to find Timbarrow's helicopter because I
knew that one hadn't made it off. He had another
machine out there that had just got off before the eruption.
So I knew there was going to be a helicopter there.
I wasn't one hundred percent sure about the boats. Obviously,
it's towards the beginning of a busy season, so you
know there's maybe two three boats max. So I was
(05:12):
expecting a boat. But other than that, no, I had
no idea.
Speaker 2 (05:18):
Other people involved have spoken about your leadership on that day,
just your calmness in such a horrific environment. Where did
that come from? Where does that come from? Is that
your nz sas training and experience kicking in.
Speaker 3 (05:34):
There's a bit of that. It's probably quite a bit
of that.
Speaker 4 (05:37):
But you know, you you should have shaped up.
Speaker 3 (05:41):
I've been shaped up from the beginning.
Speaker 4 (05:44):
You know, as it's growing up, there's lots of different
things you experience, and I think you know, once you
sort of get into trouble get out of trouble, you
sort of you know, start to round out a little
bit and you can sort of handle things a little
bit differently when you're first either scared or first the
bit of blood or break a leg or some wins
and losses and stead of that went through into the
(06:04):
regiment and you know there's you're under lots of pressure
with training so lots of things go on, so that
just sort of like starts to polish that up, and
then a lot of things that happened there after.
Speaker 3 (06:17):
Once I was out of the regiment.
Speaker 4 (06:19):
There's seen a lot of pressure of events, and yeah,
you learn to get more done when you're you know,
in that space calm. I mean it's sometimes it's you know,
it's hard to think that you could be calm, but
things go better if you're settled into you just you know,
diligently or quickly working through constructive you know thoughts, plans
(06:43):
and what you're going to do and what you're not
going to do.
Speaker 2 (06:45):
Were you surprised there was going to be no official
air rescue on the.
Speaker 4 (06:48):
Day, Yeah, yeah, I was, I think in New Zealand,
you know, over run default. So you know, you break
your leg down a bank and roll your car. You're
ring the rescue the couples and they arrive, but the
reality of it is depending on the severity of the
nature of the event and our case as a disaster
like that, and there's a lot of perceived risk and danger.
(07:12):
You know, then you start to see the other side
of the aircraft or help coming. You know, it comes
down to whatever's in there and their stand up ready
prosiegures or the procedures of helping people, et cetera. And yeah,
when they didn't turn up, I don't have much time
to think about it. But thereafter, obviously I've had a
(07:32):
lot of time to think about it. So you know,
I just for me, it's just we're a peacetime country.
You know, not a lot of people there are going
to react and get up to the pointy end of
pressure or we lives might be at risk. And that's certainly,
you know, other than the police, you're probably not going
(07:53):
to see much of that.
Speaker 3 (07:53):
In New Zealand.
Speaker 2 (07:54):
I mean, I can't imagine anyone in New Zealand. I
don't think anyone in New Zealand would have been comfortable
leaving people there without giving them the opportunity to survive.
And that's why you went, wasn't it.
Speaker 3 (08:06):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (08:06):
No, absolutely, and I reckon most New Zealanders would go
or want to be there, just it was difficult because
obviously the best way to get there was the Helles.
We had a couple of Helles when we got on
the island, and you could see the people when you were,
you know, right there beside them and you could see,
you know, they're just terribly hopeless and just so needed someone.
(08:28):
You know, most New Zealanders faced with that or sitting
beside them or holding them or caring for them. Yeah,
they're definitely going to you know, all they want to
do is get them to a better place.
Speaker 3 (08:38):
You know. So I don't have any doubt.
Speaker 4 (08:41):
It's just you know, we're fifty k's off New Zealand
and interrupting you know, volcanoes. So yeah, it was it
was just fortunately that we're all home and we had
the helles there.
Speaker 3 (08:54):
They went out on another job and we could go
Would you do it again? Yep?
Speaker 2 (08:59):
Yeah, I'd love to talk to you a little bit
more about this military service that you did. You joined
the military after leaving school. Where did your interest in
the military service come from?
Speaker 4 (09:10):
I was pretty keen on the military yet as a
young fellow, were always playing body colboys and Indians, and and
then you know, we were I was always sort of
fascinated with hearing a few stories from Grandad and and
you know, I was always hunting, love guns and the
and then.
Speaker 3 (09:28):
We sort of got involved.
Speaker 4 (09:29):
You know, then you start reading things a lot of
commanding magazines at the time, and and then it was
sort of got exposed to I sort of really liked
the Special Force type things at L A. D G
and the guys, you know, the Clippers and World War I,
the first part of the SPUs and and then some
of the stories coming out of Africa Slew Scales and
(09:51):
and the obviously, and then we not long after we
had a TV. I remember seeing the the se s
rescue the Osages and the Ranian embassy sege in London
and I was like, oh man, this is this is
where I want to go. So there was always a focus,
you know, following all that sort of those reads and.
Speaker 2 (10:08):
Watches, and you were determined to join the New Zealand essay. Yes,
and at the age of eighteen you're the youngest candidate
at that point to finish the selection course. Is the
selection course the hardest thing that you've done mentally and physically.
Speaker 3 (10:24):
Physically, It'll be one of them. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (10:27):
Mentally it would have been fine, but my feet fell apart.
And so that was a really good test of you know,
the mental side of sort of resilience, that's for sure.
I think in business later on and family and issues
that you know, all New Zealanders are exposed to. I
think that that probably got some of the biggest mental challenges.
Speaker 3 (10:49):
But yeah, no, it's pretty hearty.
Speaker 4 (10:51):
The New Zealand's Essays selection is definitely heartier than the
British one I did. Yeah, it's not a lot of
food there. It's pretty relentless. They've got some really good
activities that sort of can really sort of grind you down.
Speaker 3 (11:07):
And it's at the long days.
Speaker 4 (11:09):
You certainly got to like work and you're sort of
want to like, you know, you've got to like being
uncomfortable to get through that.
Speaker 3 (11:15):
You sure do.
Speaker 2 (11:17):
I was fascinated reading about the jobs you had in
civilian security, first set and Gola for a diamond trading company.
And I'm going to be honest with you, Mark, it
was a little bit like, you know, it sounded like
a film script.
Speaker 3 (11:30):
Really, yeah, it is a blood diamond.
Speaker 4 (11:34):
I think someone's said to me, that's like that bloody
It's like blood diamond film.
Speaker 3 (11:40):
Actually it's it.
Speaker 2 (11:43):
Sure felt like the wild West out there.
Speaker 3 (11:44):
What was that like? Ah, yeah, it was a while
where you know, there's a war going on.
Speaker 4 (11:50):
You obviously didn't see that every day in Lawanda, and
we were working. But then when we moved out of
Lawanda up into the North area to fly cashup and
bring diamonds back, that's when you saw the sort of
the military side of it. But in Lwanda it was
incredibly lawless and there's a huge amounts of you know,
death and injury going on there as well. So yeah,
(12:14):
it was a very you know, millions of people stacked
into a tiny place. You know, we were carrying a
lot of cash around, up to a couple of million
in the car on the vehicles, you know, and then
transporting the equivalents and diamonds between safe houses and Rwanda
out to the airport to transport back to UK or Belgium,
and then moving cash up country and little planes and
(12:35):
you know, meeting up with our buyers up there with little, tiny,
little house compounds and they just fled out buying diamonds
just twenty four hours a day. Yeah, so there's a
lot of people wanted to They knew you carried cash
or diamonds was you know, so there was a lot
of people that wanted to have them more than you
and that was always going to involve gunfights. So there's
(12:56):
a lot of cot cash and transit operations went down
from numerous other entities there that were always getting hit
and then you just sort of could be into receiving
serious crime there just by being you know, white or
Westerner going about business. So yeah, it was. It was
very lawless when I was there.
Speaker 2 (13:14):
When the book is filled with a lot of life
threatening events that you went through, but a lot of
them you would expect in the situations you're in, like
what you were just describing. However, there is one event
in here, and I'm going to thank you for the
photos because they kind of gruesome, and I think you
know what I'm talking about, and that's when you were
doing adventure racing and you were doing the God's Own
Race and you got yourself a flesh eating disease.
Speaker 3 (13:38):
Yeah, that was that is pretty gross, Mark, Yeah, that was.
It is gross.
Speaker 4 (13:46):
It was pretty nari in the end. So yeah, I
mean nearly took my life just about top of my leg.
But thank goodness for you know, amazing staff and Tiano
and Vicrgo and lastly and dune Ed and you know
sort of kept me alive and you know, keep me intact.
But yeah, that's brutal, that neckotizing fish.
Speaker 2 (14:07):
How long does it take to recover from it?
Speaker 4 (14:11):
It took me a couple of weeks in hospital before
us moved up to white Keaddow and then I went
through a skin graft there, so I was in there
for about a week, got out at home, and yeah,
it took a long time for the sort of swelling
to go down, and I was on crutches for a while,
and so you know, it probably took a good year.
I reckon before you need the skin healed properly and
(14:34):
you're be able to get around. So yeah, it was
a it was a long one. I think I was
probably reasonably mobile without the crutches in about two months.
But it was just it was just I had to
keep a sock on for a year, just the full
sort of up to your knee sock, just to try
and smooth out the skin and help the skin graft.
Speaker 3 (14:53):
So but you know, it was, it was. It was brutal.
Speaker 2 (14:57):
Mark just one of the amazing stories in the book.
It's so much that I haven't even been able to
touch on it is. It is definitely a book filled
with many many good yarns and incredible So thank you
so much for agreeing to write it with Ron Crosby
and love you to talk to you. Thank you so much, thank.
Speaker 3 (15:12):
You very much for having me on fans having last day.
Speaker 2 (15:15):
Same to you. Mark's book is called Lucky You're Tough
and it is in stores this Tuesday. As I said,
some incredible stories in there, and yes he has very
good recollection of what happened on the Curry White Island
that day as well. That's all in there.
Speaker 1 (15:29):
For more from the Sunday session with Francesca Rudkin, listen
live to News Talks it'd be from nine am Sunday,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
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