The Northern Territory news Tue 2 Apr 2013
NT news
The Northern Territory news; NewspaperNT
2013-04-02
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English
Community newspapers -- Northern Territory -- Darwin; Australian newspapers -- Northern Territory -- Darwin
Nationwide News Pty. Limited
Darwin
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Nationwide News Pty. Limited
https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2019C00042
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/244764
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/592280
6 NT NEWS. Tuesday, April 2, 2013. www.ntnews.com.au P U B : N T N E W S D A T E : 2 -A P R -2 0 1 3 P A G E : 6 C O L O R : C M Y K NEWS l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l ntnews.com.au Fishos in narrow escape SEVEN Top End fishermen were left stranded in a croc-infested river after their boats took on water and several rescue attempts failed. The group had their Easter long weekend outing cut short when disaster struck at the mouth of the South Alligator River on Friday night. Two of their three boats took on water, leaving the fishermen stranded. A third tinnie suffered propeller damage trying to rescue the men, with the river littered with rocks. The group were intending to stay for the Easter weekend at West Alligator camping area. Kakadu National Park rangers received a distress signal from the fishing groups emergency beacon at 6.15pm. By chance a recreational fisherman in another boat passed by and helped the men while officials found their location. Two rangers and a Jabiru police officer arrived at Barron Island at 10pm to rescue the group. It was dark and a lot of weather was coming in, visibility was basically nothing, it was pitch black darkness, Kakadu National Park manager of compliance and wildlife operations Andrew Wellings said of the rescue. He said the group were able to get help sooner because they had an emergency beacon and a satellite telephone with them. If they didnt it could have been worse. People going out there they should have good local knowledge, suitable vessels and equipment, he said. Battle to aid tinny EMOTIONS ran high at a Darwin beach yesterday after a tinny capsized in rough seas. Several people waded into waist-deep water as they tried to turn the boat the right way up at Vesteys Beach yesterday morning. Two men and a woman were frustrated as they attempted to get the boat out of the water calling out to onlookers to help them retrieve it from the choppy water. Of the dozen watching the battle between humans and mother nature, one person stepped up to help out. A passer-by, who was walking along the beach, also ran in to assist the struggling group. His two dogs jumped in after him, doggy-paddling out to lend a paw. One witness said a big wave flipped the boat at the ramp near the Darwin Sailing Club. The boat was recovered after a fight against the rocking ocean. No one was harmed. Katherine cops a belting as heavy rain lashes region THE Katherine region was one of the hardest hit by heavy rainfall overnight yesterday, causing localised flooding and road closures. While many roads had since re-opened, a spokeswoman for the Department of Infrastructure, Cassandra Buckley, said road crews would monitor conditions and apply restrictions as required. A flood warning was issued for Katherine River and Waterhouse River yesterday morning after Edith Farms Rd peaked at 187mm, Tindal airport 123mm, Edith Falls Ridge 107mm, Katherine bridge 100mm and Maningrida 99.8mm by 9am. Stuart Highway was cut at Pine Creek as water peaked at 200mm overnight yesterday. But both lanes were open under traffic management by the afternoon. The highway was also cut north of Katherine and between Renner Springs and Powell Creek until about 10.30am yesterday. We expect in Katherine things might change quite a bit, Ms Buckley said. (The flood waters) dropped, then came up again so well be monitoring it in case it rises again . . . it depends how much rain we get. Arnhem Highway at Wildman River Bridge and the Kakadu Highway at Nour langie Creek were restricted to four-wheel-drive vehicles by flooding and road users were warned to drive with caution. Edith Falls Rd between the Stuart Highway intersection and Edith Falls Carpark road and Central Arnhem Rd at Beswick were closed all day due to flooding. Salties go hungry after family pulled free Picture: GERARD REARDON A TERRIFIED family sat on the roof of their four-wheeldrive as water rose around them after breaking down in a crocodile-infested creek. The water hit 1.2m and swamped the inside of their car by the time they were rescued by police and Kakadu National Park rangers. A huge crocodile notorious for eating dogs and wild horses lives nearby. Local people have been try ing to kill the saltie for more than a year. The two adults and three children were driving across Magela Creek on the Gunbalanya to Jabiru road on Sunday afternoon after a sightseeing trip to the Ubirr rock art site when their LandCruiser stalled. Witness Gerry Reardon, 42, who has worked as a linesman for the Power and Water Corporation in Jabiru for three years, said the children were frightened. They freaked out a bit, as you would, he said. People from the nearby Mudginberri outstation shouted to the family to stay out of the water. Sensibly, they didnt try to wade to the bank, Mr Reardon said. It was about 100m across. That creek is not normally flooded like that. Ive never seen it so high. Ranger David Brown led the team for the rescue. The rangers and police werent keen to get in the water, Mr Reardon said. They backed their vehicle in as far as they could without getting swamped and then threw a line to the family. It took a few tries but they managed it in the end and towed them out. The family was stranded for about 90 minutes. Human chain rescue in croc-infested river Fishermen Ian Hageman told how his three friends rescued his daughter and a 12-year-old girl from trees after their boat flipped Picture: KATRINA BRIDGEFORD By SARAH CRAWFORD THREE mates waded into a croc-infested flooded river to rescue a woman and a girl who were stuck up trees after their boat flipped. Fishermen Ian Hageman, 62, said his friends jumped into the water and created a human chain to drag his daughter, 28, and a 12-yearold girl to safety after an Easter weekend fishing disaster. They were great, they did not hesitate and there are big crocs in there, he said. Mr Hageman, of Living stone in Darwins rural area, launched his 3.6m tinnie with his daughter and the niece of a friend on board in the Douglas Daly region on Friday afternoon. The river was calm when they launched, but heavy rain saw water levels rise by 7m overnight. There were bits of logs rushing by so I decided to get the boat out, but the water was backing against the tree lines, Mr Hageman said. When the tinnie became wedged against one of the trees, it flipped and tipped all three into the water. Mr Hageman was dragged underwater and hit his head on the boat. When he surfaced he clung to the capsized boat, but it was being sucked into the middle of the river. I just let go of the boat and swam to the trees, Mr Hageman said. Meanwhile, the girl who was wearing a life jacket and Mr Hagemans daughter had latched on to a tree. Three friends, who were waiting on the bank to help haul the boat to shore, came to their rescue. They swam into the floodwaters and positioned themselves in different trees to pass the woman and the girl to safety. Mr Hageman managed to swim to safety and was eventually washed up further downstream. He said he knew heavy rain had been forecast for the weekend but had not considered cancelling the trip. We had been looking forward to it for a long time. I have lost the boat and all my fishing gear, but no one was hurt that is the main thing. Mr Hageman asked fishos to look out for his boat a 3.6m V-hull Savage punt. He has left his contact details at the Douglas Daly Tourist Park.