Clyde Volunteer firefighter and orchardist Tim Paulin is gearing up to complete his eleventh Sky Tower Challenge next month.

He is one of five from the Clyde brigade taking part, they’ve been training since February, using their “Stairs For Mental Health” WhatsApp group to tee up stair climbs at the Clyde Dam and keep each other on track. 

Tim said each member wants to raise $1,500 individually to qualify for automatic entry to next year's event. 

“[As a team] we’ve got $2,500 so far… and we expect to get around $5,000.”

Firefighters need to cover their own accommodation and travel costs but he said it was a rewarding experience to be a part of.

“We get as much out of it ourselves, as we put in. It’s a good cause, it keeps us fit, and we get together and have a yarn.”

Now in his 50s he has figured out his pace up the Sky Tower but he said participants, himself included “get wobbly, and your brain goes to funny places,” due to the difficulty of the event.

“You sound like Darth Vader in your helmet, but it’s all about focus.

“People are lined up at the start, there’s 20 second intervals.. and the young guys in their 20s do catch me and pass me. I carry on plodding.

“Then I’ll pass them maybe 10 more floors up, or by the end… they’ve blown themselves out.”

A Clyde firefighter takes part in the 2021 Sky Tower Challenge. PHOTO: File

After a workout in the Clyde Dam; Peter, Andy, Tim, Tom and Barry from Clyde. PHOTO: Supplied

Tim said he plans to keep doing the challenge, until he can’t, or maybe the cost to take part might result in him stopping. 

“Clyde is a little town, and we’re a little brigade, the fundraising side of things is getting harder.”

Tim has had a cousin who has had blood cancer and has another friend currently battling Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. 

“Plenty of people have been touched by [Leukaemia and Blood Cancer]”

Other Central firefighters are training for the annual Auckland Sky Tower challenge next month too. 

Pages for local residents to show their support can be found online for Alexandra, Clyde, Cromwell and Naseby.

Dunstan rural firefighter Josh Woodside has been training with the Clyde members for the challenge, and has signed up as an individual. PHOTO: Supplied

The Firefighter Sky Tower Challenge is now in its 21st consecutive year and now raises more than $1M for the charity annually. 

Along with Kiwi firefighters international competitors come from Australia, Chile, Germany, Croatia and the United Kingdom. 

The firefighters will be wearing full firefighter gear and breathing apparatus that weighs around 25kg. 

The climb is 1103 steps, 328m high. It’s more than 50 flights of stairs to the top. The average race time is 16 minutes.

Fundraising closes just prior to the challenge, on Saturday May 24. 

Leukaemia and Blood Cancer New Zealand supported 6,600 patients in 2024, along with the firefighter challenge one of it’s other fundraisers is Shave for a Cure that occurs in May too. 

All the best to the Central firefighters taking part.

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