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Blue Lake incident (Sun 17 AUG 08)


BigMike

18-Aug-2008
5:04:55 PM

On 18/08/2008 Climboholic wrote:
>Like the whole Qantas
>maintenance thing that has been blown out of proportion.

It's context.

Qantas management and its maintenance workers are currently in dispute over salaries.

Management is possibly planning to relocate some maintenance work overseas.

Meanwhile Qantas has a legendary safety record.

So if, in the midst of all this, a chunk falls off a Qantas plane, that'd be especially newsworthy.

And on the flip side, if the media didn't report it, that'd be a cover-up, wouldn't it?


Climboholic

18-Aug-2008
5:06:31 PM

A non-structural access panel is hardly a 'chunk'.


BigMike

18-Aug-2008
5:11:19 PM

On 18/08/2008 Climboholic wrote:
>A non-structural access panel is hardly a 'chunk'.

Looks pretty chunky to me:

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/07/25/1216492714182.html

I think any passenger would feel alarmed to disembark from a plane that looked like that.

Especially if you'd made an emergency landing after rapidly losing altitude and having an oxygen mask drop on your scone.


Capt_mulch

18-Aug-2008
5:41:39 PM

Vale Tom. From what I've been seeing on the news you were a guy who grabbed the world by the throat and choked it hard. Your brother Peter is a pretty special guy too. We tried man, we tried.


Climboholic

18-Aug-2008
6:33:18 PM

That was the incident that started the media circus. It caused a decompression which is a significant incident. The pilot made an emergency decent to an altitude where there was sufficient oxygen. It wasn't a 'plummet' as reported by some news services.

Reports since then on things such as the access panel that came off or the report this morning about full toilets on a flight from Sydney to Perth are not newsworthy.
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2008/08/18/1218911513954.html

Why so defensive of the media BigMike? Are you a reporter?

I apologise for getting off topic. My condolences to Tom's family and friends.

mockmockmock

18-Aug-2008
7:18:59 PM

MODS ! Please remove all this other crap invading the thread.

Capt., I admire you for jumping in and trying to help, some wouldn't and few would really know what they were doing anyway.

Did the rescue services talk to you about counseling or was it even discussed?

I am sure you have replayed they incident a few times and hope you manage to deal with it.

Condolences to Toms family. These accidents happen so fast.


Capt_mulch

18-Aug-2008
8:13:00 PM

Nah, don't worry, I hijack enough threads myself. No counseling was discussed, but then I have you guys (and gals!) :-). Don't worry too much about me, I've tried to kill myself a few times in the past and I get through it. Read enough mountaineering books and you realise that something like this is just reality.


wallwombat

18-Aug-2008
8:19:37 PM

On 18/08/2008 Capt_mulch wrote:
> I hijack enough threads myself.

Your joking!

>I've tried to kill myself a few times in the past

But your obviously not doing it right, Mulchy. We'll put our heads together on the weekend and see what we can come up with.

> Read enough mountaineering books and you realise that something like this is just reality

That's very true.


BigMike

19-Aug-2008
11:09:35 AM

On 18/08/2008 Climboholic wrote:

>Why so defensive of the media BigMike? Are you a reporter?
>

Not a reporter, but I am a journalist, yes.

And you - do you have some link to Qantas?

As for defensiveness, I'd rather say that I have just been questioning people's statements about the media. I find that when people criticise the media for being biased, sensationalist or irresponsible, they usually do it in a biased and sensational way, which often doesn't stand up to scrutiny.


Phil Box

19-Aug-2008
1:32:12 PM

I saw Nick on the TV last night up here in Queensland. Ugly brute of a man, wonder he didn't break the lense. ;)) Kidding of course.


Climboholic

19-Aug-2008
1:32:49 PM

I'm a 4th year Aeronautical Engineering student with no link to Qantas.

Lets drop this debate that is detracting from the real reason for this thread.


gordoste

19-Aug-2008
3:17:39 PM

On 19/08/2008 Climboholic wrote:
>Lets drop this debate that is detracting from the real reason for this
>thread.

Agreed

I saw Nick (looking ruggedly handsome) on the national news last night as well... pity it couldn't be under better circumstances. Where did they do the interview? Was it back home in Canberra?


wallwombat

19-Aug-2008
3:38:21 PM

On 19/08/2008 Phil Box wrote:
>I saw Nick on the TV last night up here in Queensland. Ugly brute of a
>man, wonder he didn't break the lense. ;)) Kidding of course.

Yes, Phil, he is a very ugly fellow.

On 19/08/2008 gordoste wrote:
>I saw Nick (looking ruggedly handsome) on the national news last night
>as well...

Mate, you need to seek help.

Seriously.


Capt_mulch

19-Aug-2008
5:59:13 PM

Hey, I work hard at my rugged good looks with lots of beer and ciggies!!


wallwombat

19-Aug-2008
6:09:27 PM

On 19/08/2008 Capt_mulch wrote:
>Hey, I work hard at my rugged good looks with lots of beer and ciggies!!

Very true!

But what kind of cigarette is that, Mulchy?


Capt_mulch

19-Aug-2008
6:30:01 PM

You b*stard, when you handed me that joint of yours, you said it was only tobacco! Foiled again by the forces of evil!!!!


Capt_mulch

19-Aug-2008
8:12:24 PM

OK, enough hijacking my own thread. I like to say thank you to everyone who have sent me very thoughtful PMs. I have written a big trip report about the whole thing that I will release once I get everything straight in it, due to the sensitive nature of the whole thing. I have been working on some really serious analysis of various aspects of what happened, with the objective of producing something usable and positive out of an incredibly negative situation. I spent the whole day yesterday fending off the press, the majority of whom were trying to get some negative angle on the whole situation - I made sure they all got a straight story with nothing to get their hooks into - also pertinent as there was nothing to hook into anyway. Richard Glover from the ABC did the most thoughtful and kind interview with me. Zac Zaharius, CCA el presidente, rang me in the morning and gave me great advice and support.

Our thoughts should go out to the Carr-Boyd family. Dr Ian Carr-Boyd, Tom's father, is apparently a climber and well known in the Bluies climbing community. The brotherhood of the rope should envelop and support us all in these times of need. I have two children of my own and cannot even begin to contemplate what it would feel like to lose one of them.

I have also been reading a bit of Joe Simpson's writings lately, and it was funny that I reflected on some of his points the other day during the Blue Lake incident. Never give up on someone until you know that all is lost. Never say that someone has not survived until you know that they have not survived (one rescue worker received a call on his radio and said out loud to the whole rescue crew that "we've had another fatality over at Perisher" - we hadn't even found Tom, and I found the comment incredibly thoughtless). Even if the situation is hopeless, be there and help those in their time of need.


Climboholic

19-Aug-2008
8:24:45 PM

Wise words Nick. Peter was lucky to have someone so level headed on site after the accident.

I'm glad Zac was there to help you deal with the media. From what he tells me it was a bit laborious explaining what we consider as common knowledge to the reporters.


IdratherbeclimbingM9

20-Aug-2008
3:10:53 PM

Link to Part 1 of Capt_mulch Trip Report of this tragic incident.

Part 2

There are 59 messages in this topic.