Three Ashburton women affectionately called Don’s Angels were presented with special long-service citations this week recognising their cool heads and warm hearts during civil defence emergencies.

Jill Newton, Judy Skevington and Lynette Lovett have been civil defence volunteers for a decade or more and came together to work under Ashburton civil defence controller Don Geddes in the aftermath of the 2011 Christchurch quakes.

Jill had also volunteered for Don in the big snow of 2006, when the Ashburton district was covered in snow, from the alps to the sea.

Ashburton deputy mayor Liz McMillan presented the three women with framed certificates from the National Emergency Management Agency, signed by the Minister of Emergency Management Kieran McAnulty.

“We are grateful for your dedicated service over the years and know that you remain active providing welfare assistance should the need arise.”

Jill said she first got involved with civil defence during the Central Otago floods in 1974 and that involved several weeks of devastation for many mostly rural families.

She helped man the phones in the Ashburton District Council office during the big snow of 2006, when many rural and high country farming families were isolated by closed roads and no electricity; a record 38cm of snow fell in Ashburton town.

Jill also spent three weeks in Darfield and several weeks in Christchurch after the Canterbury earthquakes, then 10 days in Waiau and 10 days in an emergency operations centre after the Kaikoura quake. Judy and Lynette were also deployed at these quake events.

Jill said the work had provided a variety of involvement that she had enjoyed.

“Ashburton has certainly had its share of events in the years that followed and we here in Ashburton have a full team of volunteers ready to respond at a moment’s notice.”

She said the “Don’s Angels” had spent many long and sometimes difficult hours working together during emergencies.

The three volunteers are part of a wider team of civil defence volunteers that can be called on by the Ashburton District Council’s current emergency management officer Jim Henderson to help in a crisis.

If you want to know more about civil defence in the district, visit our website ashburtondc.govt.nz