Wild adventures in Wairau Hospital for escapee from cold war Europe

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Wild adventures in Wairau Hospital for escapee from cold war Europe

Book excerpt
John in the 1982 Les Mills New Zealand Ironman Championship race: “My first triathlon and my first win”
John in the 1982 Les Mills New Zealand Ironman Championship race: “My first triathlon and my first win”

John Hellemans is a successful triathlete, representing New Zealand at several world events. He is also a doctor, working in general practice and sports medicine after emigrating from Holland in the late 1970s. His first job was at Wairau Hospital in Blenheim and this excerpt from Never, Ever Give Up? A Memoir details his adventures there

Wairau Hospital was a small regional hospital, with about 200 beds, but it was a major employer for the local population. Half the township worked the, John with triathlete Erin Baker who won more than 10 world championship titles. , John with triathlete Erin Baker who won more than 10 world championship titles. John became her coach and adviser in the 1980s, when triathlons began