Source:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/enterta...-harford-on-his-side
Bruce Springsteen has Christchurch earthquake hero Michael Harford on his side
Michael Harford rescued seven people from the PGC Building after the 2011 Christchurch earthquake. This week, he is working as a rigger, helping set up the stage for the Bruce Springsteen concert at AMI Stadium on Tuesday.
Michael Harford stands on the grass at AMI Stadium and looks up at the stage he's helping build for Bruce Springsteen's Christchurch concert. The moment is bittersweet.
Hands on his hips, Harford shakes his head and adjusts his shades when asked about his experiences during the 2011 Christchurch earthquake.
It's a rare visit to Christchurch for the humble hero. For Harford, painful memories lie on each street corner in this city.
Six years ago this week, the self-described "typical guy" risked his life to rescue seven people trapped in the wreckage of the PGC Building after it collapsed during the February 22, 2011 earthquake.
Now based in Queenstown, Harford is part of a crew "scrambling around at great heights" to construct the trusses for the lighting rigging for the sold-out Bruce Springsteen concert at AMI Stadium on Tuesday.It was those skills that enabled him to scale the treacherous heights of the broken PGC Building.
There, Harford crawled over wires, metal and broken glass and dug a tunnel in the debris using just wire cutters and hacksaws. Amid strong aftershocks, he used his bare hands to punch holes in debris and crawled through a space the size of a desk drawer to save the lives of strangers.
Whenever he returns to Christchurch, it feels like it happened just yesterday.
"It's a reminder. . . . It's on every street corner and every person you talk to," Harford said. "Everybody who was there that day, who experienced the earthquake, they are the only ones who know, deep down, how it feels deep down. People say, 'how was the quake? It must have been awful'. You can never really describe it, it was one of those you had to be there moments but you wouldn't want to be there."
The decision to go into the broken building to help others was a life-changing moment.
"I didn't really think about it at the time but that lasting memory of everything that happened, that's affected me in a way I didn't think about," Harford said. "It's painful to remember some things but it's hard to forget others."
He still has family in Christchurch but decided to move to Queenstown post-quake.
"I didn't want to be constantly reminded of everything."
This week, Harford is working for The Boss.
"The older rock artists have a way of producing old school events, every man and his dog who have had something to do with rock and roll is here backstage this week," he said
"It's one of those classic old school gigs which is cool. Everything with the production is coming together really well."
Harford has become close friends with Monique Mclennan, one of the people he rescued.
"She's getting married soon and I've been invited to her wedding . . . that will be a special day," he said.
"Seeing her go ahead since all that happened . . . I'm proud that she's moving forward with her life."
