7 MAY 2016 - MT. WARNING and Bushies to the Rescue.

Post date: Nov 2, 2016 5:41:05 AM

Reporter: Graham S

What started out as a fabulous hike on a beautiful day to the top of Mt Warning turned into an experience quite different to what our team of six expected. With our leader Jeff C we departed the car park at 9.15am and progressed steadily and carefully up the winding Zig-Zag tracks making sure we did not slip on any of the wet and slippery rocks. The scenery on the way up is as beautiful as ever with all the damage from the 2013 cyclone well and truly fixed up and re-grown. There were literally hundreds of tourists walking up and down that morning including one man running up and down for the second time and a group of ladies also walking very quickly up and down for the second time that morning.

As we carefully took on the final 300 metres of the almost vertical chain climb and scramble we were surprised to see a young couple heading on past us, the gentleman also had a little 3-year-old child in a back–pack style child holder and he was able to climb the cliffs without use of the chain.

On the top we all got chatting with the couple during out snack-lunch and he also took a couple of photos our group. Come the trip down and all went well getting down the chain and onto the track with our new found friends just ahead of us.

Suddenly a scream from his wife as she went over on her ankle. The ladies of our group immediately assisted applying and wrapping a tight bandage to her foot and ankle, but it was obvious she was not going to be able to walk down as it may have been broken and she was in agony.

We had passed the first helicopter stop off point, and so Jeff tried to assist by lifting and carrying her on one side and her husband on the other but the track was too narrow and dangerous for this and phone calls were made to triple O for help. Then down the track came another family with a very tall and strong looking dad. Our bushies told him all about the problem and in an amazing rescue, he put the lady on his back and carried her virtually all the way down. He did not hesitate anywhere and our group walked continuously and quickly to keep up with him.

We all met the stretcher bearers and first aid officers about half a kilometre from the car park and at this point they administered and injected various drugs including Morphine before placing her on a stretcher and carrying her down (also with the use of a huge wheel to go under the stretcher when possible). It was a monumental effort and the ambulance and police were waiting at the bottom in the car park. The fit and active gentleman (whose name was Ben from Mudgeeraba) and we understand is a policeman from the north end of the Gold Coast) simply caught up with his family and moved on.

Wow what a day for the bushies.