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When a woman wielding a 12-inch knife threatened customers at a bar on Wellington’s Courtenay Place Cam Galbraith was the right person, in the right place, at the right time.
The musician, former bodyguard and mental health advocate was standing outside The Malthouse on Sunday afternoon, when another patron bumped into him, and pointed out a woman, who was holding a 12-inch blade.
“She threatened a customer.”
His training as a former bodyguard kicked in, and he waited while a large group who had just arrived, entered The Malthouse, before disarming the woman.
While some people might have stopped there, after he removed the knife and placed it on the bar, he went back outside to speak with her.
The woman broke down, and told him about how her partner had threatened her with a gun, and how she was struggling with her mental health.
“I don’t think she was lying, she was walking around, and she was just in shock.
Galbraith, who was recently made and ambassador for mental health organisation I am Hope, told her about his own struggles with mental illness.
He knew he was unable to detain her, and wanted to keep everyone else in the bar safe by not bringing her inside, so he let her go.
The police had already been called, so when they arrived he jumped in the car to try to help them find the woman and her partner, but neither were located.
He said the staff at The Malthouse remained calm despite the stressful situation and kept looking after their customers throughout the incident.
His manager, Paul Ellis, said it was a strange experience.
“You don’t expect to come down for a business meeting, and to find your client rescuing people in the middle of the street.”
He said the situation could have gone bad, really quickly.
“You’ve got a guy running round with a gun, and a woman with a knife on Courtenay Place.”
Operations manager at The Malthouse, Kieran O’Malley, said the incident could have taken place at any business on Courtenay Pl, and was indicative of a bigger problem.
“Courtenay Pl is getting worse. I’m seeing more homeless people, more mental health issues, than I’ve ever seen in my life, and I’ve been down here nine years. Where’s the support for them?”
The Malthouse has installed state-of-the-art CCTV, and all staff were going through specialised conflict management training, but there was only so much businesses themselves could do.
