Another School Group Missing

[Lindsay]

Or..D of E strikes again......http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010 ... 908567.htm

[johnw]

Or..D of E strikes again......http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010 ... 908567.htm

Yes saw the report on Nine News earlier. They found the second group of three students (why did they split up?). One with a sprained ankle, otherwise all OK. Why do school groups feature so prominently in S&R incidents? I know the area (around Breakfast Creek on the fringe of the Wild Dog Mtns). Without knowing their exact route if they stayed on the tracks navigation should not usually be an issue. As usual the TV reporting was fairly ignorant and sensational, and likely to instigate yet more calls for regulation of all bushwalkers.

[WarrenH]

Can I suggest how innocently and then not-so-innocently these things work. The word MISSING is crucial.

Just say, a parent needs to contact one of the children on the walk. The parent goes to the school firstly and then the school advises the parent to contact the police. The parent says, "We need to contact our Little Jimmy because his Grandmother has been taken to hospital and is doing poorly, we would like him to know."

The police say, "If he is out of range, there is little we can do. We can't go looking for Little Jimmy, we don't have the manpower. The only option is we will notify the police media branch. They will put out a press release and hopefully a member of the public will run into Little Jimmy and tell him to contact the police immediately." The parents then say, "OK, that sounds like a good idea." The media then sits on the police press release. The media doesn't waste space on this non-story yet. Nor do they give-out unpaid personal ads to the public.

A few days go by. No one runs into Little Jimmy. Someone in the media asks the police media branch," Has Little Jimmy been in touch with the police yet." The police say,"Oh no, he is still on the walk, we aren't aren't concerned."

It is now SCHOOL GROUP MISSING IN THE BLUE MOUNTAINS!!! How inconvenient of Little Jimmy not to be obvious to a member of the public, when no one in the group knew that Little Jimmy needed to be obvious.

The media frenzy has now started for the MISSING child ... no, make that an entire MISSING group! A story has to be fabricated to suit the spectacular headlines. If it rained a bit overnight, in the canyons, that's a big win for the media. CONCERN FOR MISSING SCHOOL GROUP - FLASH FLOOD. There is 100m distance between the first walkers and the stragglers (which is quite good on a DofE walk) ... MISSING SCHOOL GROUP SPLIT

Something as simple as, "We need to contact our Little Jimmy," is all it will take. Don't call me cynical, call me experienced.

Warren.

[BarryJ]

Or..D of E strikes again......http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010 ... 908567.htm

Yes saw the report on Nine News earlier. They found the second group of three students (why did they split up?). One with a sprained ankle, otherwise all OK. Why do school groups feature so prominently in S&R incidents? I know the area (around Breakfast Creek on the fringe of the Wild Dog Mtns). Without knowing their exact route if they stayed on the tracks navigation should not usually be an issue. As usual the TV reporting was fairly ignorant and sensational, and likely to instigate yet more calls for regulation of all bushwalkers.

Not only did the group split up, the last group of three to be found actually activated a PLB they were carrying but then kept moving making it difficult for searchers to get a location:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010 ... 909114.htm

[melinda]

Bad pups strike again!
&
Warren, you definitely should be an author.

[WarrenH]

Melinda, you are just too kind but even mediocre authors have a resemblance of something intelligent to say at times ... I know, I could write copy for Bear Grills. Melinda, you have unleashed a sleeping dragon.

Warren.

[melinda]

Hi Warren,
I look forward to hearing the words of a woken dragon.
(But not too many flames in my direction please! )
Melinda

[WarrenH]

Melinda, I've flames all-right! ... I now have those beautiful yellow and red ones to keep alight. Those different flames that will warm your heart ... the ones that some do not expect.

Do you know the adopted a road programme or the adopt a highway programme? I've been thinking about that programme for several years, I always thought that I would adopt a road into a wilderness, but I haven't been able to decide which one, so I adopted a track. Yesterday, I adopted 70 kilometres of the Bicentennial National Trail in the north of the ACT and to the north of the ACT.

There are these red and yellow flames, that keep me warm ... I see them every now and again, and again and again. Do you know the ones that I mean? Now let me light your fire and you can bring your horse to warm as well ... or even a donkey. I relate to donkeys.

The smoky fire.



If you are lost, stay put, conserve your water and light a very smoky fire. Nowadays you will be found within moments, if you have a smoky fire.

Warren.

[melinda]

Hi Warren,
I used to ride as a kid. The BNT would have to be fun!
Good on you for adopting the 70ks. Always impressed when people put something back.
So will a four legged friend be travelling with you?
Melinda

[WarrenH]

Melinda, thank you. The only beast of burden is me.

Our home is on the old National Horse Trail. When the NHT had a name change to being the Bicentennial National Trail it became a multi-use trail embracing walkers and cyclists. New suburbs in Canberra have caused several re-routings of the Trail. I rang the Chair of the BNT and asked him if I could help maintain the trail, because horse riders were getting lost in the northern Canberra suburbs, they were following the old NHT markers that had not been taken down after re routing of the BNT and vandalism needed addressing and signs needed maintaining. The Chair of the BNT told me about the Canberra Co-ordinator who was selflessly looking after the entire ACT and the Trail to the immediate North of the ACT. I'm always on the trail walking or riding and enjoying it greatly, I know the trail and the obvious problems.

6 weeks ago a couple came past on the Trail heading North with 4 camels, and a guy doing the Trail is coming into Canberra at the moment pushing a wheel barrow. Now that is dedicated bush walking. One should not ever push a barrow up hill, I reckon. A Japanese guy pushed a barrow from Darwin to Adelaide on the Sturt Highway I thought that that was cool, but pushing a barrow through some of the remotest and most rugged country the Great Divide can offer, is truly extraordinary. The BNT is a self-reliant trail, the longest self-reliant trail on the planet.

Warren.

[iandsmith]

Interesting discussion. Totally agree with about how the media twists things. I just love it when "Shark attack" hits the headlines and laughingly remember when a guy got latched on to by a tiny wobbegong and it took up the whole front page of the Daily Telegraph. The victim actually managed to get a scratch or two I think and must have been the laughing stock of his mates when they saw the headline and he had next to nothing to show for it.
Also, remember kids get lost because "experience is the thing you get just after you need it".
Cheers all.