"My Mum who does Red Cross" – meet Krystal Boyes
2 October 2024
Krystal Boyes first came across our Disaster Welfare Support Teams while on a first aid course.
It was a Red Cross course and a poster on the wall calling for volunteers for the team, who deploy in emergencies across Aotearoa to provide support for people caught up in disasters.
“My kids were at an age where I could leave them for more than a couple of hours and I was looking for something that was just for me outside the family bubble. I saw one of the posters on the wall in the class and thought ‘that looks like so much fun!'”
Nervously showing up on her own for her first night, Krystal said she quickly realised all the different components that make up the work of the teams were things she enjoyed. Her passion for emergency management and helping in the community grew from there.
Today, six years later, Krystal leads the Whanganui Disaster Welfare Support Team and has been deployed both locally and to Whangaparāoa for the COVID-19 response, Auckland for the 2023 flooding, Hawke's Bay for Cyclone Gabrielle, and most recently to the second flooding in Wairoa this year.
“Being able to make a difference to someone’s experience in an emergency event, or if they or someone they care about is hurt is one of the most rewarding things for me. I like the challenge of coming up with solutions on the spot and guiding and supporting my teammates and other agencies," she said.
“I was able to do this recently in Wairoa joining forces with the Māori Wardens and Taskforce Kiwi. There were a few situations where the people we were talking to had a need that was not within our capabilities, so with their consent we were able to pass on information, and we also had a few names passed our way as well for a wellness check. It was a great opportunity to work together rather than around each other.”
The Whanganui team trains once a week and Krystal ensures the weekly meetings are challenging and fun. She likes to build skills across the team and shares leadership around so everyone can learn and grow.
Krystal is a single mother of three working in public health and is honest that juggling kids, work, and volunteering life does feel a little hectic at times.
“I’m lucky to have supports in place to help with the kids if needed. I try to be organised and have a couple of people lined up if I can see that there are things happening that could potentially lead to an activation. The kids just know now that if I say ‘I’m off to do Red Cross stuff’ they will see me when they see me.
“But for Mother’s Day, my girls made me a card with a picture of me in my Red Cross uniform with a message saying ‘you are the best at Red Cross’, and my teenager always introduces me to his mates as his ‘mum who does Red Cross’.
“Which makes me confident that the kids don’t just see me as disappearing all the time, and they understand that there are people out there that need my help while I am gone.”
She didn’t know it when she sat in that first aid course, but today Krystal is clear – her volunteering and her role in the team are where she should be.
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Image caption: Disaster Welfare and Support Team leaders Krystal Boyes and Nick Webb (of Tauranga) deliver supplies in Wairoa.