| 16 December 2008 |
Assist Police Rescue search for a male, 30 hours over due on a solo bushwalk near Berrima.
He was located safe and well at 23:00 hrs, before we drove down. 10 BWRS Members responded.
|
| 22 November 2008 |
Assist Police Rescue search for a 19 year old male missing overnight near Berrima.
He was located safe and well at 11:00 hrs. A call for help heard by one of the search parties was
treated as a separate incident. A search failed to locate any one in difficulties although a group of
climbers were operating not far away. 10 BWRS Members responded.
|
| 6 September 2008 |
Assist Australian Federal Police to search for a 31 year old woman, missing since setting
out for a day walk on Wednesday in the Nursery Swamp area, Namadgi National Park south of Canberra. She was
found live and well early in the day. 7 BWRS members attended.
ABC article
|
| 18 May 2008 |
Called in to assist NSW Police and the Cave Rescue Squad with the
protracted rescue of a caver trapped by a rock-fall at Wombeyan Caves. The man was successfully rescued.
SMH article
|
| 22/23 September 2007 |
Search for a 63 year old man missing since 16th.
He was dressed in light clothing and running from Corin Dam to Mt Gingera ACT, over night temperatures were very low at the time.
The man was not located but a clue was passed onto police who will search with dogs.
10 BWRS members attended. |
| 18 September 2007 |
The squad was called out to meet at Mill Creek camping ground in the Dharug NP near Wiseman’s Ferry. A school group of ten plus a teacher were benighted while doing a Duke of Edinburgh navigational exercise. 7 BWRS members attended but were stood down soon after when the group was located by a search helicopter. The benighted party were brought out fit and well. |
| 17 July, 2007 |
Called by Lithgow VRA, to assist Police in the search for two males, reported missing
on Monday lunch time from a trip to Starlight Canyon on Sunday. They were located in the canyon,
stranded by a flooded underground section and unable to climb out the sheer walls they had abseiled
down. They were assisted up the abseil, by a search party who walked in. Temperatures
in the area at the time were down to -7 degrees, and a snow storm was forecast for later on Tuesday. |
| 28 June, 2007 |
Called by police rescue to help locate an elderly male, missing for 3 days near
Medowie. Nothing was found and the search was called off when more information became available. |
| 13-15 April, 2007 |
Called by Police Rescue to assist in the search for a missing solo bushwalker attempting
the Kanangra to Katoomba walk in the Blue Mountains. His body was found by a BWRS team and Polair below a cliff in
rugged country some distance off his intended route, near Mt Cloudmaker. 6 BWRS teams in the
field plus base personnel.
Police Media report
SMH report 16 April -
SMH Report 12 April |
| 21 February, 2007 |
Called by Police Rescue to assist in the search for a missing male near Thredbo.
Located well 21 February. |
| 15 - 19 December, 2006 |
Called out by Police Rescue to assist in the search for a 17 year
old male lost in the bush on the eastern side of Mt Solitary since 11
December. His body was located 19 December. 32 BWRS members attended in the field and at base.
SMH report
Daily Telegraph report |
| 14 November, 2006 |
Called in by Police Rescue to assist in
the search for a 54 year old female lost in the bush
near Wisemans Ferry. She had rang 000 and said she
was lost after looking for her dogs in the national park
adjoining her property. Police, including Polair, searched
for her on 13 November but was unable to locate her so BWRS,
SES and RFB units were requested to assist the following day.
She was found that morning in good condition and was winched
out by Careflight rescue helicopter. 3 BWRS teams in the field plus base personnel. |
| 19 September, 2006 |
Assisted Police to conduct
an evidence search relating to a suspected murder at
Swan Haven on the South Coast.
SMH
report
|
| 10 September, 2006 |
Captains Flat male 21 missing on a shooting trip, in adverse weather
with rain and snow. A BWRS team was travelling to the scene when he was found by local emergency services in a severe hypothermic state. |
| 8 August, 2006 |
Search for evidence relating to a suspected murder of a woman some years ago in Sydney. Police had reason to believe an area just south of Nowra was relevant to the case so BWRS was called in to assist. |
| 30 January, 2006 |
Called in by Police Rescue to assist in
the search for a missing 62 young female missing
from the township of Nymboida. Members of the SES,
RFS and Nymboida Wilderness Rescue also attended. She
was found early that afternoon. |
| 30 October, 2005 |
Called in by Police Rescue to assist in
the search for a missing two year old child, missing
from a family camp at Burrill Lake, near Ulladulla.
He was found safe and well shortly before lunch.
|
| 22 October, 2005 |
Called in by Berrima District VRA to
help search for a mountain biker who failed to return
after a ride to Bowral. He was quickly found at the
head of a trial safe and well. |
| 13 October, 2005 |
Called in by Police Rescue to assist in
a search for a father and son overdue on a walk along
the lower reaches of the Grose River. Shortly after
we were activated the missing party was found and we
were stood down before any BWRS people arrived at the
scene. |
| 26 June, 2005 |
Search for an orienteer who did return
from an event on the previous day. The search
involved 16 BWRS personnel, Goulburn Police Rescue
Squad, Goulburn SES, Police helicopter (Polair) and
Southcare Rescue helicopter. The missing person was
found mid morning on a fire trail about 10km away
from the event location.
After this search the missing person and their
orienteering club made a substantial donation to
BWRS. We thank them for their generosity!
|
| 24 June, 2004 |
Search for Matthew Weirich, a young
Mormon in Australia from America for
his missionary. While visiting Grand Canyon Lookout
at Bundanoon he fell down the cliff, approximately 90
metres high. A search by Berrima VRA that evening
failed to find him. The next day we were called in,
and the slopes below the cliff were extensively
searched and the cliff itself was searched from rope.
Matthew was found mid morning by a BWRS member, and
amazing he was alive. He was winched into Westpac
Rescue helicopter and taken to Wollongong Hospital -
and it turned out he suffered no serious injury.
This rescue created a lot of media interest.
But most importantly for us, after the rescue the
family kept in contact with us and the other
emergency services who assisted. It was great to meet
Matthew's friends and family and see how happy they
were for our part in returning Matthew safely to
them.
|
| 9 March 2004 |
Search in the Govetts Leap area for an elderly man who was last seen 3 weeks previously at
Blackheath Railway Station. Vertical Teams abseiled over the edges so that
they could clearly see the ledges and crevasses on the cliff face. |
| 13th & 14 February, 2003 |
Search for a missing solo walker in the
Budawangs. The lone male hiker left Yadboro Flat
camping ground to do a day trip to Pigeon House
Mountain. 14 members attended.
www.police.nsw.gov.au/media/detail.cfm?ObjectID=3332&SectionID=media
|
| 25th & 26th November, 2002 |
Search for 3 missing canyoners in
Bungleboori Creek.
Search conducted with Blue
Mountains Climbers Rescue Group, Lithgow VRA and
Lithgow Police. Footprints of the missing party was
found by one of our combined BWRS/BMCRG teams which
allowed Polair to follow downstream and locate the
missing party late on 26 November.
|
| 11th & 13th November, 2002 |
Assisting Berrima VRA in warning
residents of the Bundanoon of possible evacuations
due to bushfires.
|
| 22nd September, 2002 |
Search for a missing 23 year man,
Philippe Fortin, around Bundeena. Search done in
collaboration with VRA K9 search and rescue. |
21st September, 2002
|
Called out by VRA K9 to search for a
missing 27 year old man in the Wanda sand dunes. |
| 31 December 2001 - 10 January 2002 |
Assisted with DVR (disaster victim
registration) for the NSW bushfire crisis. Our role
was manning the bushfire hotline, a 24 hours a day
telephone call centre to give information on fire
conditions, road closures, evacuated people and any
other information relevant to the bushfire crisis.
BWRS supplied up to 3 of the approximately 15 people
manning the phones at any one time, in 12 hour
shifts. 12 BWRS personnel responded. |
| 9 January 2002 |
In conjunction with Berrima District
VRA, assisted Wollondilly Rural Fire Service with
vertical rescue personnel to help establish a back
burn across Cataract Gorge, near Wilton. Our role was
to get fire fighting equipment into the bottom of the
gorge, and get it back again afterwards. 6 BWRS
personnel responded. |
| 5 June 2001 |
Participated in the unveiling of the
memorial to volunteers killed during community
service at Mrs Macquaries Chair. 4 BWR personnel
involved. David Sheppard was part of the flag party
representing the VRA specialist squads. |
| 26,27 September 2000 |
Called out to assist in the search a
overdue solo woman walker in the Budawangs. Missing
woman found by Polair. 5 BWR personnel involved. |
| 2,3,4 May 2000 |
Called out to assist in the search for
4 lost teenage bushwalkers lost in the Budawangs, in
Morton Nation Park inland from Ulladulla. After a
large scale search involving Police, SES, RFS, VRA,
Southcare rescue helicopter, 2 Polair helicopters, a
fixed wing aircraft and a Navy Squirrel helicopter
and a Navy Sea king helicopter. The missing people
were located by a BWR party in the head of Hollands
Gorge. Approximately 50 BWR people responded.
Sydney
Morning Herald Report on the search
Letter
of appreciation sent to BWR by the bushwalker's
parents
Letter
from the leader of team 5E, the Shoalhaven
Bushwalking Club team that first rendezvoused with
the lost party
The party was first located by a responding to calls
from team 8, a SPAN bushwalking club team.
Report
by Brett Davis, Shoalhaven Bushwalking Club
|
| 6 March 2000 |
Called out to assist in the search for
2 lost 10 year old girls reported missing in the
Wombeyan Caves area. Girls were found quickly in the
morning on a nearby fire trail. Approximately 20
personnel involved. |
| 23 - 24 October 1999 |
Participated in Operation Albatross,
the annual search and rescue exercise for Canberra
and Southern NSW based rescue squads. This year the
exercise continued the search for the 4 missing
snowboarders, lost in the Snowy Mountains since
August. 2 personnel involved for 24 man-hours
work. |
| 27 April - 2 May 1999 |
Assisted with Sydney Eastern Suburbs
storm damage response. Supplied vertically qualified
personnel (V3) for securing roofs of multi-storey
buildings. Non-vertical BWR personnel were also
involved as support. 12 personnel involved for 100
man-hours work. The minister for Emergency Services,
Bob Debus, awarded the VRA a certificate in
recognition of our work on this job. View
certificate |
| 20 - 24 April 1999 |
Assisted with Newcastle Disease
outbreak at Mangrove Mountain near Gosford. 4 BWR
personnel where involved for 60 man-hours work. Not
exactly our normal rescue work, but an essential
public service never-the-less! A report has been
placed on the web from WICEN. Go
to their report. |
| ? August 1998 |
Assisted Berrima VRA and Police in
searching for a party of 5 overdue in the Nattai
Gorge, west of Berrima. BWR sent 3 parties into the
field, along with a forth party supplied by
Wollongong SES. The terrain being searched was rugged
gorge country. The party was found by one of our
personnel in a Civil Air Patrol light aircraft in a
remote gorge (Civil Air Patrol is also a VRA squad).
The party was winched into the Polair helicopter and
returned safely to base. 15 BWR personnel responded
for 75 man-hours work. |
| ? May 1998 |
Assisted Berrima VRA in searching for 4
year old boy missing from a property near Mittagong.
The boy was found around 9am by Polair (the Police
Helicopter). 12 BWR personnel responded for 60
man-hours work. |
| ? May 1997 |
Assisted Windsor Police in searching
for a party of 2 bushwalkers overdue on a walk in the
Colo River Gorge, about 80km NW of Sydney. Heavy rain
just before their walk had caused the river to rise,
slowing their progress through the rugged country.
They were found by the Channel 7 helicopter around
3pm and returned safely to base. |
