From Heartache to Healing

After a deluge of impossible choices, Al is all out of options.

⚠️ This episode covers some distressing themes, including suicide and the loss of Al's dogs. Listener discretion is advised.

After a stormy night, all seems well as day dawns on February 14th 2023. They've dodged a bullet, but the gun is loaded. Before long, Pakowhai is under siege as the rivers close in on the small, rural community. There's no high ground and nowhere to go. Surrounded by rising water, Al's focus is on who needs help - people and animals alike. Not all can be saved. When he takes refuge on a shipping container, Al doesn't think he will be either. Rescue comes, but the reprieve of survival is short. The long battle that follows is raw and unforgiving as he stares down the barrel of grief and loss. Join Al on this journey from heartache to healing.

Originally from Shropshire in the UK, Al had immigrated nearly 30 years previously with his Kiwi partner, Ali. A dairy farmer already, he was a perfect fit for his new life in rural New Zealand. As their boys grew, so did the farms, and Al decided it was time for a change.

A love of dogs and a natural affinity with our canine companions steered Al in new directions. Nearly 20 years and thousands of wagging tails later, he is widely known as 'The Dogman'.

But in early 2023, a catastrophic event tore through their lives. A home, a business, a way of life, were suddenly gone. In their place, trauma, grief and uncertainty. There were no new directions. No blueprint or map. Just a silt-covered road to nowhere.

Al’s first steps along this road were heavy. Despair set like concrete, and there was no light at the end of the tunnel. Overwhelmed and unmoored, he needed an anchor to hold him steady—an anchor to halt the drift into desperation and darkness.

This is a story of Al finding his anchors. In some cases, the anchors find him. As he turns the ship around, his journey is transformed into one of resilience and redemption.

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UNDER THE WEATHER has been featured on RNZ and Stuff. Links below to find out more:

https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/360795376/devastation-healing-cyclone-gabrielles-untold-stories

https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/2019002009/tales-of-horror-and-heroism-in-cyclone-gabrielle-podcast

Chapters

00:00 Intro

01:40 Meet Al

04:50 The good life

06:00 Everything changes

08:30 Refuge

10:10 Oblivious

11:00 A few deep breaths

12:50 Shine the torch on your feet

14:15 A dark place

16:50 The community rallies

20:10 Pounamu

22:30 No respite

24:40 Gratitude

28:00 What NOT to say...

30:30 Looters

31:30 Divide & Conquer - Insurance

34:30 Divide & Conquer - Councils

37:40 A kick in the guts

40:20 Legacies

42:15 A tribute

43:30 An unexpected new chapter

44:30 Rock bottom

45:25 The light at the end of the tunnel

47:20 Arthur

49:10 A better person

51:20 Dinner club

52:30 Sound advice

55:45 Time to regroup

57:15 Conclusion

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Transcripts for Under the Weather are AI-generated.