The Robertson-Swift family: Fiona Robertson holding baby Mika, Stacey Swift and her partner Scott Robertson. PHOTOS/FILE
KAREN COLTMAN
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The late Trevor Gollins was a long-term advocate for making seatbelts mandatory for children in the back seat of cars, and the main reason his son Chris has donated $1000 to the Swift/Robertson family.
The family was crashed into from behind in Carterton on August 7 when their infant was in the backseat in a baby capsule. They had to replace all three car seats that were in the car at the time and are paying off the bill to Work and Income.
The Gollins’ donation would allow them to pay off that bill in a lump sum.
“The money has come from my dad’s estate,” Gollins said.
Trevor Gollins died age 97 on July 13 last year.
“Dad would have smiled to see that a family that could barely afford it had the good sense to have three youngsters belted in,” he said.
“In the 1960’s my father fought a long campaign against Transport Department bureaucrats to have seatbelts made a mandatory requirement in cars. Today no one would believe that the bureaucrats opposed them.
“I remember the day dad came home and announced that the transport secretary had rung him to say he was switching sides and would back dad’s campaign. The rest is history.”
When Carterton mother of three Stacey Swift got the news of the donation, she was “overwhelmed by Mr Gollins generosity”.
“I can’t believe it, it really takes the pressure off, which I need,” she said. “I feel so happy and I want to thank him personally.”
Swift said she and her partner have learnt the lesson about never letting car insurance slip.
