Hiker’s body recovered in New Zealand

THE mother of a Belfast doctor killed on a mountain in New Zealand yesterday spoke of her relief that a search-and-rescue team had recovered his body.

Dr Donal Deery, 29, died as he tried to save his girlfriend Helen McClements, who slipped as they climbed the South Island’s Southern Alps last week.

His family heard on Tuesday night that a police team from the nearby town of Wanaka had brought his body down from the mountain.

Speaking from her home in Ligoniel in North Belfast, Monica Deery said she hoped her son’s body would be home in a week’s time.

“We have been waiting a week now and I’m absolutely delighted that we will be getting him home soon. It was awful waiting every night for the news. We finally received it on Tuesday night,” she said.

Constable Cameron Sigley from Wanaka Police said bad weather had prevented them from retrieving Dr Deery’s body. “The overwhelming consensus regarding the retrieval was the risk was too high to the rescue team,” he said.

“It’s never a nice thing knowing that somebody is still out there and certainly we are very sympathetic to the family knowing they have had to wait seven days.

“There is a real sense of satisfaction of knowing that Donal will be on his way home shortly,” he added.

M McClements, 25, from Bangor, Co Down, is recovering in hospital in Dunedin, 100 miles from the scene of the accident.

Ms Deery said she hoped that Ms McClements would be fit enough to return to Northern Ireland for Donal’s funeral.

“She has suffered a lot and the emotional shock has been terrible. It will take her a long time to heal emotionally as well as from her injuries.”

Dr Deery was hailed a “hero” by Wanaka police for trying to save his girlfriend as she slipped in the snow. His mother said his actions were completely in character.

“When you are climbing you work as a team. It would always have been his first reaction to save the other person. We are delighted that Donal tried to save Helen’s life. Helen and her parents have paid tribute to him,” she added.

“It doesn’t seem as if he is dead because he is so far away. We will go through the grieving process when he comes home. He has been with us in spirit and that has kept us going.”