Updated October 18, 2018 13:01:00
Photo: The loss of key players and leaders like Tom Lynch and Steven May is yet another blow to the struggling Gold Coast Suns team. (AAP: Julian Smith) The nightmare that the Gold Coast Suns have dreaded has arrived, with Steven May becoming the second co-captain in 11 weeks to officially declare he wants out of the club. When you include a certain Gary Ablett last year, that makes three captains gone in two seasons. If losing one is a misfortune and losing two looks like carelessness, I'm not sure what Oscar Wilde would have said about a third departure, but it may not have been complimentary. Talent walks out the door at SunsJosh Caddy, end of 2012 GeelongMaverick Weller, end of 2013 St KildaHarley Bennell, end of 2015 FremantleCharlie Dixon, end of 2015 Pt AdelaideJaeger O'Meara, end of 2016 HawthornJarrod Garlett, end of 2016 CarltonDion Prestia, end of 2016 RichmondGary Ablett (ex-captain), end of 2017 GeelongAdam Saad, end of 2017 EssendonBrandon Matera, end of 2017 Fremantle Tom Lynch (co-captain), end of 2018 RichmondSteven May (co-captain), end of 2018 Melbourne It all feeds into the narrative of a club that has wasted its opportunities, a club that much of the rest of the league and its fans apparently cannot wait to see sent to Tasmania or rubbed out of existence. Clearly, when you compare Gold Coast to its fellow expansion team, GWS, the story is not a positive one. The problems are many and varied from a lack of facilities in the early days, to arguably flawed strategy and so on. The Suns opted to go for the biggest headline, putting all their eggs in the Gary Ablett basket. By the simple metric of wins and finals appearances, the gamble may not have paid off, but could you have asked much more from the Little Master? He carried the club on his shoulders for much of its first seven seasons he was their star player, their main drawcard, although not perhaps the most natural leader, except by example. The thinking was that the superstar would lead a young group of talented players to the finals, where everyone wants to be. It didn't work out that way. You can blame the location of the club on the Gold Coast, a place that has proven a graveyard for professional sport teams in a number of codes over the years. Photo: Harley Bennell (R)'s off-field indiscretions led to him joining the ranks of talented footballers to leave the Suns. (AAP: Julian Smith) The coast was, at once, extremely off-Broadway in AFL terms, but also full of temptation for the Suns' most valuable commodity, its players. You can question the club's decision-making, such as the trading away to Brisbane of Dayne Zorko now Lions captain who has spent much of his career trying to remind the folk at Carrara of the error of their decision. There are also queries about the culture at a Suns club that allowed some players to go off the deep end like Harley Bennell or couldn't even keep home-grown Queenslanders who were finally beginning to realise their potential like Charlie Dixon. Eight years on the Gold Coast2011: 3-19, 17th (last)2012: 3-19, 17th (of 18)2013: 8-14, 14th2014: 10-12, 12th2015: 4-17-1, 16th2016: 6-16, 15th2017: 6-16, 17th2018: 4-18, 17th * Win-loss record (draws where applicable) and season finish Then there is the case of young gun Jaeger O'Meara, who Tim Watson once claimed could be the best-ever AFL player. The Suns had O'Meara in mind as the cornerstone of the team's midfield for a decade, but his fragile knees kept him off the field of play for the best part of two frustrating seasons. He then sought the exit door and left, not bound for a return to Western Australia but for Hawthorn, where he has performed better and more often albeit with continued injury problems. Some question the choice of inaugural coach in Guy McKenna who had one season in charge of Claremont in the WAFL and then time as assistant coach at AFL level compared to GWS's choice of the vastly-experienced Kevin Sheedy. Despite the talent in the Suns' squad, the playing group has not been able to get Gold Coast into the finals once compared to the mix of talent at the Giants [a team a year younger than the Suns], who this year were a game away from making it to a third straight preliminary final. The go-home [or at least go-south] factor called many Josh Caddy to Geelong, Dion Prestia to Richmond, Adam Saad to Essendon, Gary Ablett to the Cats, Tom Lynch to the Tigers and even Territorian native Steven May eventually landing with the Demons. If you add it all up, it is a litany of woe. Ablett injury the fork in the road for Suns Photo: Gary Ablett's shoulder injury against Collingwood in 2014 proved a disappointing turning point for the expansion club. (AAP: Dave Hunt) But despite ALL of this, it is arguable that the worst fate to befall the Gold Coast Suns in its eight years of existence so far was a simple tackle by Collingwood's Brent Macaffer on Ablett on the far wing at Carrara in round 16, 2014. It left the Suns' superstar skipper clutching his shoulder in agony as he made his way off the ground. The Suns held on to win that game against the Magpies, but there is little doubt that it proved a "sliding doors" moment for Gold Coast. The team was sitting inside the top eight with seven rounds to go, needing another three or four wins to crack it for September action for the first time. Without Ablett, however, the younger players may have lacked the talent, or the belief or both. The Suns who had won seven of their first nine games to sit as high as equal second on the ladder at one stage lost six of their final seven games to finish a disappointing 12th. If Ablett doesn't get injured, the imperious form he was in suggests he would have won his third Brownlow Medal, and led the Suns to the promised land of September football for the first time. That would have provided belief, bought the club time and potentially opened the door for more big recruits. Some might say the Suns have never recovered from the failure to make it in 2014. If captains leaving clubs were a familiar story, we wouldn't be talking as much about the revolving door at the Suns. But it's not a regular occurrence, so they stand out just remember the furore when GWS convinced Western Bulldogs' skipper Ryan Griffen to head north at the end of 2014. Ablett gave up the captaincy for the 2017 season before engineering a return home to Geelong at the end of that year. This put more pressure on the likes of co-captains Lynch and May to hold things together and both have now opted to shift to teams with a much greater chance of success. You can argue that their decisions to leave are driven by self-interest, given their positions at the club Ablett's too, although his family's history at Kardinia Park and the need to be closer to home following the death of his sister provide compelling reasons for his return to the Cats. But the changed realities of life in the AFL under free agency [even though May is not actually a free agent] is that the days of staying with a struggling club through loyalty are largely over. If a player really wants to leave, there's not much teams can do to stop them. So, what's the solution? There are many suggestions that have been made, some helpful, some less so. A move to the Apple Isle would likely be either cosmetic, or another leap into the dark. This would involve either taking substantially the same list and hoping a change of scene and the support of locals would turn things around, or ripping things up and starting afresh which would press reset yet again and lead to another long wait with no guarantee of success at the end. There has been talk of the reintroduction of the controversial COLA [cost of living allowance] payments or other assistance to help newer clubs compete with rivals in keeping hold of and attracting players. But the experience of the past few years shows that if players are good enough, the extra money will only keep them at a club for a certain period of time. Eventually, without success, in most cases the cream of the crop will be picked off by teams that can offer as much or more money to bring them to Victoria. The Suns have a host of top draft picks in one of the highest rated drafts in recent memory, but unless those picks land 10 year elite players like Jack Lukosius or Izak Rankine from South Australia AND those players actually stay at Carrara, it wont mean a lot. In the end, there is only one incredibly obvious and even more incredibly difficult answer the Gold Coast Suns have to find a way to win more games and crack the finals. It's not that winning solves everything, but for the Suns of this world, it is a vicious circle. You can't win games until you get better players. But you can't hold the better players and get the ones you need in until you start winning more. There isn't an easy fix for this, but unless the AFL plans to walk away from the Gold Coast, something has to be done. Topics:sport,australian-football-league,brisbane-4000,carrara-4211,qld,australia First posted October 18, 2018 11:38:12 http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-10-18/where-have-the-leaders-gone-may-exit-highlights-crisis-at-suns/10262638
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Updated October 19, 2018 15:22:33
Photo: Jo Groves at her South Lismore home that she is unable to live in after it was flooded last year. (ABC North Coast: Gemma Sapwell) 2017 started out as a good year for Jo Groves in January she and her 14-year-old daughter moved into the home she had painstakingly renovated in Lismore in northern New South Wales. However, less than two months later, her home was submerged in a foot of water during the Cyclone Debbie floods which wreaked havoc in the region. But as the water receded and the clean up began, Ms Groves discovered that her problems were only just beginning. Photo: Flood waters from Cyclone Debbie put Jo Grove's South Lismore home under a foot of water in March 2017. (Supplied: Jo Groves) "Look, it's South Lismore, there is always going to be a risk of a flood," she said. "But it's what has happened since then that makes me feel like I've had enough." Ms Groves' insurance company did a strip out of her home, forcing her to move into a rental property as she waited for her payout to fund repairs. After waiting almost 18 months, Ms Groves received a $69,000 payment which her mortgagee, the Commonwealth Bank, insisted on controlling and distributing to the relevant trades people. In August this year Ms Groves received what she thought was an invoice from her builder for $14,200. "My builder rang me and told me he'd be sending me through an invoice that I was expecting," she said. "I opened it up and printed it out it was on his letter head, so I signed it and sent it to the Commonwealth Bank and they paid it." Photo: Friends helped Jo Groves clean up after flood waters inundated her South Lismore home in 2017. (Supplied: Jo Groves) But when the builder called to say he had not received the funds, Ms Groves realised she had been a victim of a scam. "The invoice had been fraudulently reproduced by someone we assume was off-shore, and they had just changed the bank account details on the bottom of the invoice and put their details on the invoice," she said. "We believe the builder's email was hacked, since these scammers often target small businesses." Ms Groves quickly notified the bank, asking them to retrieve the funds. "The bank took the full 21 days to deliberate the matter and they told me while I had been scammed, they had attempted to recover the funds but had been unsuccessful and they weren't going to reimburse me the money." Photo: Insurers stripped much of Jo Groves' home after the Lismore floods. (Supplied: Jo Groves) Ms Groves believes that since she notified the bank within 10 days of the fraud, she is entitled to have the money returned. "There are E-codes that the Commonwealth Bank is voluntary signatory to, that if you report those mistaken transactions within 10 business days, then you get your money back, but they're not adhering to that," she said. In a statement, the Commonwealth Bank said it was continuing to investigate the matter. "We are cornered when any customer is the victim of fraud," the statement said. "As soon as we were alerted to this issue, we conducted a full investigation. "On this occasion, it appears the fraudulent activity occurred prior to the bank processing the transaction. "This is a very unfortunate situation and we have been working with the customer to discuss her options." Ms Groves, who works at a community legal centre, says she is now stuck in a loop, unable to make the final payment to her builder to complete the repairs on her home so she can move back in. Photo: Jo Groves' home was hit by flood waters in Lismore last year. Now she is fighting CommBank to reimburse her for $14,200 she lost in an insurance invoice scam. (ABC North Coast: Gemma Sapwell) "I now pay $400 a fortnight on my mortgage, as well as $780 in rent and I only earn $1850 a fortnight, it's difficult," she said. If the bank's internal investigation again denies reimbursing the defrauded funds, Ms Groves says she will go to the financial ombudsman. "It's particularly frustrating because had I been managing my own money, I would've seen that the payment had been made into the wrong bank account," she said. Ms Groves said her work in the legal centre with people facing myriad struggles is a constant reminder that many people are worse off than her, and she remains optimistic that she will somehow get back into her house. "I don't know how I'll get home, but I know that I will," she said. Topics:floods,banking,lismore-2480,mermaid-beach-4218,coffs-harbour-2450 First posted October 19, 2018 10:58:51 http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-10-19/flood-victim-devastated-by-fake-invoice-fraud/10395030 Updated October 18, 2018 13:01:00
Photo: The loss of key players and leaders like Tom Lynch and Steven May is yet another blow to the struggling Gold Coast Suns team. (AAP: Julian Smith) The nightmare that the Gold Coast Suns have dreaded has arrived, with Steven May becoming the second co-captain in 11 weeks to officially declare he wants out of the club. When you include a certain Gary Ablett last year, that makes three captains gone in two seasons. If losing one is a misfortune and losing two looks like carelessness, I'm not sure what Oscar Wilde would have said about a third departure, but it may not have been complimentary. Talent walks out the door at SunsJosh Caddy, end of 2012 GeelongMaverick Weller, end of 2013 St KildaHarley Bennell, end of 2015 FremantleCharlie Dixon, end of 2015 Pt AdelaideJaeger O'Meara, end of 2016 HawthornJarrod Garlett, end of 2016 CarltonDion Prestia, end of 2016 RichmondGary Ablett (ex-captain), end of 2017 GeelongAdam Saad, end of 2017 EssendonBrandon Matera, end of 2017 Fremantle Tom Lynch (co-captain), end of 2018 RichmondSteven May (co-captain), end of 2018 Melbourne It all feeds into the narrative of a club that has wasted its opportunities, a club that much of the rest of the league and its fans apparently cannot wait to see sent to Tasmania or rubbed out of existence. Clearly, when you compare Gold Coast to its fellow expansion team, GWS, the story is not a positive one. The problems are many and varied from a lack of facilities in the early days, to arguably flawed strategy and so on. The Suns opted to go for the biggest headline, putting all their eggs in the Gary Ablett basket. By the simple metric of wins and finals appearances, the gamble may not have paid off, but could you have asked much more from the Little Master? He carried the club on his shoulders for much of its first seven seasons he was their star player, their main drawcard, although not perhaps the most natural leader, except by example. The thinking was that the superstar would lead a young group of talented players to the finals, where everyone wants to be. It didn't work out that way. You can blame the location of the club on the Gold Coast, a place that has proven a graveyard for professional sport teams in a number of codes over the years. Photo: Harley Bennell (R)'s off-field indiscretions led to him joining the ranks of talented footballers to leave the Suns. (AAP: Julian Smith) The coast was, at once, extremely off-Broadway in AFL terms, but also full of temptation for the Suns' most valuable commodity, its players. You can question the club's decision-making, such as the trading away to Brisbane of Dayne Zorko now Lions captain who has spent much of his career trying to remind the folk at Carrara of the error of their decision. There are also queries about the culture at a Suns club that allowed some players to go off the deep end like Harley Bennell or couldn't even keep home-grown Queenslanders who were finally beginning to realise their potential like Charlie Dixon. Eight years on the Gold Coast2011: 3-19, 17th (last)2012: 3-19, 17th (of 18)2013: 8-14, 14th2014: 10-12, 12th2015: 4-17-1, 16th2016: 6-16, 15th2017: 6-16, 17th2018: 4-18, 17th * Win-loss record (draws where applicable) and season finish Then there is the case of young gun Jaeger O'Meara, who Tim Watson once claimed could be the best-ever AFL player. The Suns had O'Meara in mind as the cornerstone of the team's midfield for a decade, but his fragile knees kept him off the field of play for the best part of two frustrating seasons. He then sought the exit door and left, not bound for a return to Western Australia but for Hawthorn, where he has performed better and more often albeit with continued injury problems. Some question the choice of inaugural coach in Guy McKenna who had one season in charge of Claremont in the WAFL and then time as assistant coach at AFL level compared to GWS's choice of the vastly-experienced Kevin Sheedy. Despite the talent in the Suns' squad, the playing group has not been able to get Gold Coast into the finals once compared to the mix of talent at the Giants [a team a year younger than the Suns], who this year were a game away from making it to a third straight preliminary final. The go-home [or at least go-south] factor called many Josh Caddy to Geelong, Dion Prestia to Richmond, Adam Saad to Essendon, Gary Ablett to the Cats, Tom Lynch to the Tigers and even Territorian native Steven May eventually landing with the Demons. If you add it all up, it is a litany of woe. Ablett injury the fork in the road for Suns Photo: Gary Ablett's shoulder injury against Collingwood in 2014 proved a disappointing turning point for the expansion club. (AAP: Dave Hunt) But despite ALL of this, it is arguable that the worst fate to befall the Gold Coast Suns in its eight years of existence so far was a simple tackle by Collingwood's Brent Macaffer on Ablett on the far wing at Carrara in round 16, 2014. It left the Suns' superstar skipper clutching his shoulder in agony as he made his way off the ground. The Suns held on to win that game against the Magpies, but there is little doubt that it proved a "sliding doors" moment for Gold Coast. The team was sitting inside the top eight with seven rounds to go, needing another three or four wins to crack it for September action for the first time. Without Ablett, however, the younger players may have lacked the talent, or the belief or both. The Suns who had won seven of their first nine games to sit as high as equal second on the ladder at one stage lost six of their final seven games to finish a disappointing 12th. If Ablett doesn't get injured, the imperious form he was in suggests he would have won his third Brownlow Medal, and led the Suns to the promised land of September football for the first time. That would have provided belief, bought the club time and potentially opened the door for more big recruits. Some might say the Suns have never recovered from the failure to make it in 2014. If captains leaving clubs were a familiar story, we wouldn't be talking as much about the revolving door at the Suns. But it's not a regular occurrence, so they stand out just remember the furore when GWS convinced Western Bulldogs' skipper Ryan Griffen to head north at the end of 2014. Ablett gave up the captaincy for the 2017 season before engineering a return home to Geelong at the end of that year. This put more pressure on the likes of co-captains Lynch and May to hold things together and both have now opted to shift to teams with a much greater chance of success. You can argue that their decisions to leave are driven by self-interest, given their positions at the club Ablett's too, although his family's history at Kardinia Park and the need to be closer to home following the death of his sister provide compelling reasons for his return to the Cats. But the changed realities of life in the AFL under free agency [even though May is not actually a free agent] is that the days of staying with a struggling club through loyalty are largely over. If a player really wants to leave, there's not much teams can do to stop them. So, what's the solution? There are many suggestions that have been made, some helpful, some less so. A move to the Apple Isle would likely be either cosmetic, or another leap into the dark. This would involve either taking substantially the same list and hoping a change of scene and the support of locals would turn things around, or ripping things up and starting afresh which would press reset yet again and lead to another long wait with no guarantee of success at the end. There has been talk of the reintroduction of the controversial COLA [cost of living allowance] payments or other assistance to help newer clubs compete with rivals in keeping hold of and attracting players. But the experience of the past few years shows that if players are good enough, the extra money will only keep them at a club for a certain period of time. Eventually, without success, in most cases the cream of the crop will be picked off by teams that can offer as much or more money to bring them to Victoria. The Suns have a host of top draft picks in one of the highest rated drafts in recent memory, but unless those picks land 10 year elite players like Jack Lukosius or Izak Rankine from South Australia AND those players actually stay at Carrara, it wont mean a lot. In the end, there is only one incredibly obvious and even more incredibly difficult answer the Gold Coast Suns have to find a way to win more games and crack the finals. It's not that winning solves everything, but for the Suns of this world, it is a vicious circle. You can't win games until you get better players. But you can't hold the better players and get the ones you need in until you start winning more. There isn't an easy fix for this, but unless the AFL plans to walk away from the Gold Coast, something has to be done. Topics:sport,australian-football-league,brisbane-4000,carrara-4211,qld,australia First posted October 18, 2018 11:38:12 http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-10-18/where-have-the-leaders-gone-may-exit-highlights-crisis-at-suns/10262638 Posted October 14, 2018 09:24:25
Emu egg whites are turned into a lemon-myrtle marshmallow at Homage Restaurant. ABC News: Lucy Murray Topics:poultry-and-egg-production,farm-labour,sustainable-and-alternative-farming,food-and-beverage,food-safety,food-and-cooking,food-processing,ipswich-4305,harristown-4350,harrisville-4307,grandchester-4340,runaway-bay-4216 http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-10-14/emu-marshmellow/10369426 Posted October 11, 2018 18:39:18
The inquest into the deadly Dreamworld accident has been delayed because more than 1,000 new documents have been handed to the coroner but have not been examined by lawyers for the victims' families. Cindy Low, Kate Goodchild, Luke Dorsett and Roozi Araghi were fatally crushed when the Thunder River Rapids ride malfunctioned in October 2016. Two years later, Dreamworld's owner Ardent Leisure is still producing relevant documents to the coronial inquest. On Monday, they handed over more than 1,000 documents and counsel assisting the coroner, Ken Fleming, said his colleagues had been "desperately trying" to process "some thousands of pages". "[They] were making great headway until early this morning when the power shut off from the whole building and a lot of overnight work was lost," Mr Fleming told the court. At Mr Fleming's request, the inquest adjourned two hours early on Thursday, so lawyers for the victims' families could review the new material. Lawyer for Ardent Leisure, Bruce Hodgkinson, told the inquiry finding all relevant documents for the "very broad" inquiry was a "very complex, difficult task". "We would much prefer to have been able to produce all of the documents at an earlier time but the reality is it has proven to be a much bigger task than anybody expected," Mr Hodgkinson said. "We acknowledge that the material is later than is desirable." Some sources close to the victims' families have told the ABC they were frustrated the documents were not provided sooner. They said adjourning the inquest early was "causing significant delay to the whole process and additional distress to the families". Thousands of documents related to next witnesses The new material is believed to be relevant to the next two witnesses Dreamworld attractions supervisors Jennie Knight and Jason Johns, who oversaw the day-to-day operations of the theme park's rides. Mr Hodgkinson said people were searching through "huge databases" to find relevant documents for the inquest. "We had four full-time people going through all the material that we had," he said. "This task is not a simple task, it has taken an incredible amount of resources and time it's not merely a matter of pushing a button or putting in a search term and coming up with a series of documents and being satisfied that is the totality of documents on that issue." Barrister Steven Whybrow, who is representing the father of siblings Kate Goodchild and Luke Dorsett and Ms Goodchild's partner, told the court he was concerned about a lack of documentation about a 2014 Thunder River Rapids ride incident that was "strikingly similar" to the 2016 tragedy. He said he did not know if the new Ardent Leisure material included further documents relevant to the incident, but said "the lack of any documentation following that incident is of great concern to my clients". "One way or another it is time that it is clarified," Mr Whybrow said. "Are there any other documents about that incident, or are there not?" Ardent Leisure said it had been conducting a targeted search for the documents relevant to that incident. Two weeks of inquest hearings into the Dreamworld disaster were held in June and another fortnight of hearings began on Monday. The inquest will continue Friday morning. Topics:law-crime-and-justice,courts-and-trials,company-news,business-economics-and-finance,people,emergency-incidents,disasters-and-accidents,community-and-society,coomera-4209,brisbane-4000,qld,australia,southport-4215 http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-10-11/dreamworld-inquest-delayed-documents-produced-review/10363806 Updated October 10, 2018 18:12:52
A paramedic who was one of the first on the scene at a fatal incident at Dreamworld says even the best doctors in the world would not have saved the four victims. Key points:Medics tell inquest that there was no hope of saving victimsFormer ride operator 'confused' why conveyor was not stoppedAngry workers claimed they were being mistreated by management Former Dreamworld safety officer Shane Green told an inquest examining the tragedy that nothing could have improved the medics' response to the harrowing scene they were confronted with. "In all honesty if you had had the world's leading cardiothoracic surgeon, neurosurgeons, traumatic surgeons in that place at the exact time it happened and with all their equipment nothing would have changed the outcome," Mr Green said. "With the injuries that they had suffered there was little more we could do." The deaths of Cindy Low, Kate Goodchild, Luke Dorsett and Roozi Araghi are under examination at a coronial inquest on the Gold Coast after the group were killed instantly when their raft collided with an empty vessel and flipped backwards in October 2016. Another paramedic who was one of the first on the scene said he did not immediately know a fourth person was trapped underwater. Photo: Roozi Araghi, Luke Dorsett, Kate Goodchild, and Cindy Low lost their lives on the ride. (Facebook) Former Dreamworld safety officer John Clark told the court he was aware of three patients and was performing resuscitation when he was made aware of a fourth person. "When I was attempting to resuscitate the patient I had, I don't know if the water receded or the gentleman floated up, but there was another patient," Mr Clark said. Photo: Queensland Emergency Service personnel at the Thunder River Rapids ride. (AAP: Dan Peled) Mr Clark was rostered on as safety officer, stationed just 30 metres away from the entrance to the Thunder River Rapids ride on the day of the incident. He said he realised the gravity of the situation the moment he arrived on the scene. "On that day, personally I've never come across anything that would have made my life, for want of a better word, easy. It was an extraordinary event," he said. Mr Green also agreed that there was a "degree of financial constraint" that prevented him from doing his job effectively. Mr Green and Mr Clark are both taking legal action against Dreamworld, having engaged Shine Lawyers to sue the theme park for "psychological injuries" they suffered. Emergency responses 'drilled' into staff Earlier, Dreamworld ride operator Stephen Buss was asked if he was aware of emergency stop procedures for Dreamworld ride. Mr Buss was sacked in 2014 for his role in an incident when two rafts containing visitors collided on the ride's conveyor belt, but no one was injured. He agreed that emergency responses were "drilled" into staff and there were regular audits of staff, where emergency situations were spoken about. "They would describe scenarios that were possible on the ride you know, pump stops and what you do, a guest falls in and what you do, a raft comes back and there's one less person, what you do," he said. Mr Buss said he was "confused" when he saw the 2016 incident on television and wondered why the conveyer was not stopped. 'Supervisors don't care': union rep claimed The inquest was also shown a letter from on-site union representative, Jarad Drysdale, which was addressed to an email group titled "Dreamworld Operations Ideas". The letter detailed staff concerns that they did not have the support of management. "Talk about staff having to pee at their rides, leaving their rides unattended and even being hospitalised with a kidney infection because of personals (sic) taking too long," he wrote. "But my major concern about this in regards to the point I am trying to make is that staff say, supervisors don't care they are just out to get you." Former safety and first aid officer Ben Hicks was on the stand when court adjourned for the day and will return on Thursday morning. Rebecca Ramsey, a safety officer also working on the day of the 2016 incident, is also expected to give evidence. More on this story:Topics:courts-and-trials,law-crime-and-justice,emergency-incidents,disasters-and-accidents,human-interest,people,company-news,business-economics-and-finance,southport-4215,coomera-4209,brisbane-4000,qld,australia First posted October 10, 2018 15:19:51 http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-10-10/dreamworld-inquest-paramedics-describe-ride-chaos/10358726 Dreamworld inquest counsel says 'opportunistic' Shine Lawyers compromised witness evidence10/12/2018 Updated October 11, 2018 11:11:33
Photo: Roozbeh Araghi, Luke Dorsett, Kate Goodchild, and Cindy Low died on the Thunder River Rapids. (Facebook) The counsel assisting the coroner at the inquest into the Dreamworld ride tragedy has slammed a legal firm for "compromising" evidence by publicly announcing three key witnesses were planning to sue the Gold Coast theme park. Key points:Shine Lawyers announced outside inquest three witnesses would be suing DreamworldKen Fleming QC says Shine's announcement was opportunistic and compromised inquestShine Lawyers stands by comments and rejects suggestion witnesses knew nothing of the move The inquest in the Southport Magistrates Court is investigating the deaths of four people who died when a raft on their Dreamworld ride tipped over, and will hear from three safety officers and an engineer, who are planning to sue Dreamworld for psychological damage. Shine Lawyers made the announcement in Brisbane on Tuesday, claiming their clients "cannot unsee" the horrific scene at the Thunder River Rapids Ride in October 2016. Ken Fleming QC, who is leading the inquest as counsel assisting, said the Shine announcement was opportunistic and done without the knowledge of the witnesses themselves, or their lawyers involved in the inquest. "Obviously they [Shine Lawyers] are using the opportunity build their own profile," he told the ABC. "I was very disappointed because it compromises their evidence. "It makes it look as though they're giving evidence at the inquest for the purposes of the common law procedure and that, of course, just isn't the case." Photo: Former Dreamworld safety officer John Clark is one of the three planning to sue. (AAP Image: Dave Hunt) Lawyers representing the families of Cindy Low, Kate Goodchild, Luke Dorsett and Roozi Araghi will question witnesses and theme park management over the course of the inquest, which Mr Fleming said was already running behind schedule. Safety officers John Clark and Shane Green gave evidence in the District Court at Southport on Wednesday, while another safety officer Rebecca Ramsey and engineer Paul Burke are yet to appear. Mr Fleming, who is also the Northern Territory's Independent Commissioner Against Corruption, said the inquest must be kept separate to any outside legal action from witnesses. "They're here to give evidence in respect of the inquest the inquest being an investigative, non-adversarial process." Photo: Queensland Emergency Service personnel at the Thunder River Rapids ride. (AAP: Dan Peled) Mr Fleming said some witnesses being represented by Shine Lawyers did not know the announcement was to be made on Tuesday and the lawyers acting for the witnesses in the inquest were also taken by surprise. However, a spokeswoman for Shine Lawyers rejected that criticism. "We sought permission from the clients involved in the inquest to speak on their behalf before offering comment," she said. "Our comments sought to highlight the ordeal that our clients have endured and continue to suffer through as first responders at this horrific scene." The spokeswoman stood by the firm's comments. "As a law firm, we take access to justice very seriously particularly where personal injury and the mental health of our clients is affected," she said. "Every person who suffers injury in the workplace is entitled to representation and support of the law." One of the former safety officers, paramedic John Clarke, told the inquest on Wednesday that while he was in the water trying to resuscitate one of the victims, the water receded further and another victim was revealed. His colleague Shane Green told the court even the best surgeons in the world could not have helped the four victims on that day in October 2016. The inquest will continue this morning. Topics:courts-and-trials,emergency-incidents,company-news,business-economics-and-finance,southport-4215,coomera-4209,australia,brisbane-4000,qld First posted October 11, 2018 06:47:40 http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-10-11/dreamworld-inquest-ken-fleming-blasts-shine-lawyers-civil-suit/10361654 Updated October 10, 2018 18:12:52
A paramedic who was one of the first on the scene at a fatal incident at Dreamworld says even the best doctors in the world would not have saved the four victims. Key points:Medics tell inquest that there was no hope of saving victimsFormer ride operator 'confused' why conveyor was not stoppedAngry workers claimed they were being mistreated by management Former Dreamworld safety officer Shane Green told an inquest examining the tragedy that nothing could have improved the medics' response to the harrowing scene they were confronted with. "In all honesty if you had had the world's leading cardiothoracic surgeon, neurosurgeons, traumatic surgeons in that place at the exact time it happened and with all their equipment nothing would have changed the outcome," Mr Green said. "With the injuries that they had suffered there was little more we could do." The deaths of Cindy Low, Kate Goodchild, Luke Dorsett and Roozi Araghi are under examination at a coronial inquest on the Gold Coast after the group were killed instantly when their raft collided with an empty vessel and flipped backwards in October 2016. Another paramedic who was one of the first on the scene said he did not immediately know a fourth person was trapped underwater. Photo: Roozi Araghi, Luke Dorsett, Kate Goodchild, and Cindy Low lost their lives on the ride. (Facebook) Former Dreamworld safety officer John Clark told the court he was aware of three patients and was performing resuscitation when he was made aware of a fourth person. "When I was attempting to resuscitate the patient I had, I don't know if the water receded or the gentleman floated up, but there was another patient," Mr Clark said. Photo: Queensland Emergency Service personnel at the Thunder River Rapids ride. (AAP: Dan Peled) Mr Clark was rostered on as safety officer, stationed just 30 metres away from the entrance to the Thunder River Rapids ride on the day of the incident. He said he realised the gravity of the situation the moment he arrived on the scene. "On that day, personally I've never come across anything that would have made my life, for want of a better word, easy. It was an extraordinary event," he said. Mr Green also agreed that there was a "degree of financial constraint" that prevented him from doing his job effectively. Mr Green and Mr Clark are both taking legal action against Dreamworld, having engaged Shine Lawyers to sue the theme park for "psychological injuries" they suffered. Emergency responses 'drilled' into staff Earlier, Dreamworld ride operator Stephen Buss was asked if he was aware of emergency stop procedures for Dreamworld ride. Mr Buss was sacked in 2014 for his role in an incident when two rafts containing visitors collided on the ride's conveyor belt, but no one was injured. He agreed that emergency responses were "drilled" into staff and there were regular audits of staff, where emergency situations were spoken about. "They would describe scenarios that were possible on the ride you know, pump stops and what you do, a guest falls in and what you do, a raft comes back and there's one less person, what you do," he said. Mr Buss said he was "confused" when he saw the 2016 incident on television and wondered why the conveyer was not stopped. 'Supervisors don't care': union rep claimed The inquest was also shown a letter from on-site union representative, Jarad Drysdale, which was addressed to an email group titled "Dreamworld Operations Ideas". The letter detailed staff concerns that they did not have the support of management. "Talk about staff having to pee at their rides, leaving their rides unattended and even being hospitalised with a kidney infection because of personals (sic) taking too long," he wrote. "But my major concern about this in regards to the point I am trying to make is that staff say, supervisors don't care they are just out to get you." Former safety and first aid officer Ben Hicks was on the stand when court adjourned for the day and will return on Thursday morning. Rebecca Ramsey, a safety officer also working on the day of the 2016 incident, is also expected to give evidence. More on this story:Topics:courts-and-trials,law-crime-and-justice,emergency-incidents,disasters-and-accidents,human-interest,people,company-news,business-economics-and-finance,southport-4215,coomera-4209,brisbane-4000,qld,australia First posted October 10, 2018 15:19:51 http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-10-10/dreamworld-inquest-paramedics-describe-ride-chaos/10358726 Dreamworld inquest counsel says 'opportunistic' Shine Lawyers compromised witness evidence10/11/2018 Updated October 11, 2018 11:11:33
Photo: Roozbeh Araghi, Luke Dorsett, Kate Goodchild, and Cindy Low died on the Thunder River Rapids. (Facebook) The counsel assisting the coroner at the inquest into the Dreamworld ride tragedy has slammed a legal firm for "compromising" evidence by publicly announcing three key witnesses were planning to sue the Gold Coast theme park. Key points:Shine Lawyers announced outside inquest three witnesses would be suing DreamworldKen Fleming QC says Shine's announcement was opportunistic and compromised inquestShine Lawyers stands by comments and rejects suggestion witnesses knew nothing of the move The inquest in the Southport Magistrates Court is investigating the deaths of four people who died when a raft on their Dreamworld ride tipped over, and will hear from three safety officers and an engineer, who are planning to sue Dreamworld for psychological damage. Shine Lawyers made the announcement in Brisbane on Tuesday, claiming their clients "cannot unsee" the horrific scene at the Thunder River Rapids Ride in October 2016. Ken Fleming QC, who is leading the inquest as counsel assisting, said the Shine announcement was opportunistic and done without the knowledge of the witnesses themselves, or their lawyers involved in the inquest. "Obviously they [Shine Lawyers] are using the opportunity build their own profile," he told the ABC. "I was very disappointed because it compromises their evidence. "It makes it look as though they're giving evidence at the inquest for the purposes of the common law procedure and that, of course, just isn't the case." Photo: Former Dreamworld safety officer John Clark is one of the three planning to sue. (AAP Image: Dave Hunt) Lawyers representing the families of Cindy Low, Kate Goodchild, Luke Dorsett and Roozi Araghi will question witnesses and theme park management over the course of the inquest, which Mr Fleming said was already running behind schedule. Safety officers John Clark and Shane Green gave evidence in the District Court at Southport on Wednesday, while another safety officer Rebecca Ramsey and engineer Paul Burke are yet to appear. Mr Fleming, who is also the Northern Territory's Independent Commissioner Against Corruption, said the inquest must be kept separate to any outside legal action from witnesses. "They're here to give evidence in respect of the inquest the inquest being an investigative, non-adversarial process." Photo: Queensland Emergency Service personnel at the Thunder River Rapids ride. (AAP: Dan Peled) Mr Fleming said some witnesses being represented by Shine Lawyers did not know the announcement was to be made on Tuesday and the lawyers acting for the witnesses in the inquest were also taken by surprise. However, a spokeswoman for Shine Lawyers rejected that criticism. "We sought permission from the clients involved in the inquest to speak on their behalf before offering comment," she said. "Our comments sought to highlight the ordeal that our clients have endured and continue to suffer through as first responders at this horrific scene." The spokeswoman stood by the firm's comments. "As a law firm, we take access to justice very seriously particularly where personal injury and the mental health of our clients is affected," she said. "Every person who suffers injury in the workplace is entitled to representation and support of the law." One of the former safety officers, paramedic John Clarke, told the inquest on Wednesday that while he was in the water trying to resuscitate one of the victims, the water receded further and another victim was revealed. His colleague Shane Green told the court even the best surgeons in the world could not have helped the four victims on that day in October 2016. The inquest will continue this morning. Topics:courts-and-trials,emergency-incidents,company-news,business-economics-and-finance,southport-4215,coomera-4209,australia,brisbane-4000,qld First posted October 11, 2018 06:47:40 http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-10-11/dreamworld-inquest-ken-fleming-blasts-shine-lawyers-civil-suit/10361654 Dreamworld inquest hears there was a 'total failure of everybody' to ensure ride's safety10/11/2018 Updated October 09, 2018 12:30:36
A Dreamworld maintenance boss has conceded there was a "total failure by everybody" at the theme park to identify safety issues on the Thunder River Rapids ride. An inquiry into the deaths of Cindy Low, Kate Goodchild, Luke Dorsett and Roozi Araghi has resumed at the Southport Coroner's Court today. They were killed on the ride when their raft collided with an empty vessel and flipped backwards in October 2016. The inquest has been told some ride repairs were delayed for budgetary reasons and Dreamworld's safety guidelines had warned of the potential for rafts to tip. During questioning by counsel assisting the coroner, Ken Fleming QC, Dreamworld maintenance planner Grant Naumann agreed the Thunder River Rapids ride was "completely unsafe". Ken Fleming QC: "The day that this accident occurred, this ride proved to be completely unsafe, didn't it?" Grant Naumann: "Yes." K.F: "Whose job was it to determine the safety of the ride?" G.N: "Everybody's." K.F: "Are you then saying that there has been a total failure by everybody to identify the safety issues in respect of this ride?" G.N: "In hindsight yes." Earlier, Mr Naumann told the inquiry that 'a number' of modifications were made to the Thunder River Rapids ride in 2016, including on a section leading to the conveyer belt. "We installed some framework at the base of the conveyor, so leading up to the conveyor," he said. "That framework was put in there in the event that a water level dropped the raft couldn't tip over, that sort of thing." Photo: Roozi Araghi, Luke Dorsett, Kate Goodchild, and Cindy Low lost their lives on the ride. (Facebook) Under questioning from barrister Matthew Hickey, acting for Cindy Low's family, Mr Naumann said there were discussions about whether repairs could be delayed for budgetary reasons. "Were there decisions made for certain works to be deferred because they couldn't afford to be done from time to time?" Mr Hickey asked. "There were discussions with regards to the cost of a repair or the cost of a replacement and if it was decided that that could be deferred until such a time as it would fit the budget better, yes that happened," Mr Naumann responded. The inquest also heard that Dreamworld's safety guidelines warned of the potential for rafts to tip on the ride. Maintenance team leader Stephen Murphy was the first to take the stand and was asked if he knew the consequences if the ride conveyer continued when a pump failed. He said no-one had brought it to his attention. He was then shown guidelines warning it could tip. "The Rapid Ride Alarm will be sounded when the main water pumps stop for this ride. If the pumps stop for this ride then there is the potential for the rafts to become a hazard to the guests riding them," the document said. "The rafts are very heavy and there are a lot of underwater obstacles that could cause the rafts to tip or entrap the guests." Mr Murphy also told the court he did not know what the emergency stop button on the ride's main operator control panel did, and that he had never tested it. He said he had regularly checked other emergency stop buttons on the ride. "I know the e-stop on the unload that stopped the conveyor because I used that as part of my morning checks," he said. Mr Murphy said an order from a management meeting instructed staff to shut down rides if they broke down three times in one day, which was a change from previous breakdown policy that dictated a ride be shut down after two issues. The Thunder River Rapids ride had already broken down twice on the day of the fatal raft collision. A fortnight of hearings were held in June and shed some light on the tragedy, with evidence of operator confusion, unclear emergency plans and an under-resourced safety unit. Topics:law-crime-and-justice,courts-and-trials,company-news,business-economics-and-finance,people,human-interest,grief,emergency-incidents,disasters-and-accidents,community-and-society,coomera-4209,brisbane-4000,qld,australia,southport-4215 First posted October 08, 2018 14:45:01 http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-10-08/dreamworld-inquest-hears-total-failure-to-ensure-safety/10350034 |
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