Written By: Loretta Bryce 13th May 2009
Somewhere in an overgrown and vandalised cemetery in Port Moresby lies
the body of an Australian man who died while working for the Australian
Government in 1969.
Point Vernon woman Julie von Schill was only eight years old when her dad's
plane crashed in Papua New Guinea. She never got to say goodbye - she
wasn't allowed to go to his funeral - but now she is calling on the Australian
Government to give her dad a proper resting place.
Oswald Kevin von Schill was chairman of the Lands Department when he
chartered a flight over New Britain to interview applicants for leases in the
West New Britain Oil Palm Scheme.
The plane crashed on take-off from Unea Island and he died, leaving behind
wife Betty and their four children. “I was eight and my sister Margaret was
11 when Dad died,” Julie said. “They said we were too young to go to the funeral.
“He just went out to work one day and never came home. “Mum never got over
his death. She never re-married. “She's now 81 and I would love to take her
there for a memorial service - I think it would give her a lot of peace.”
Oswald, who everyone knew as Kevin, was flown back to Port Moresby and
buried in the Badihagwa Cemetery with other Australians who died before
PNG's independence.
Julie went back once, when she was 15, but since then the cemetery has
been vandalised by locals, littered with weeds and had plaques stolen off
graves to be sold as scrap metal.
“My sisters and I know where his grave is and would be able to find it
but it's a matter of financing the trip up there, locating the actual site,
repairing it and holding a memorial service,” Julie said.
“The government never paid any worker's compensation to our family,
even though dad died while on duty. Dad served in the Navy in WWII and
was injured by shrapnel.
“It would be really nice if the government could pay someone to go in and
restore the cemetery. “There's a lot of Australian history buried there.”
Showing posts with label workplace fatality. Show all posts
Showing posts with label workplace fatality. Show all posts
Wednesday, 13 May 2009
Wednesday, 25 March 2009
One dead, four hurt in Hunter Valley railway disaster
A HORRIFIC rail accident in which one man was killed and four others
seriously injured may have been the result of human error.
The Contruction, Forestry, Mining and Electricity Union said today that
the accident in the Hunter Valley late on Tuesday night was likely a result
of a ground crew error. Crews contracted to the Abigroup construction
company were working on a section of rail line at Telarah about 11pm
when a 30-tonne piece of prefabricated track dropped from an on-site
crane, crushing the men below.
Ralph Grigull, whose house backs onto the line, said he was lying in bed
when he heard a crashing sound outside. “It sounded like a truck dumping
its load and then keeling over – you could tell it was an unusual sort of
sound,” he said. “I went outside and one of the lads told me a load had
slipped and that there was a bloke bleeding profusely.” One man died at
the scene, while another two were airlifted to the John Hunter Hospital
with critical arm and leg injuries.
Two others with less serious injuries were taken by road to Maitland
Hospital. It is understood that one of the critically injured men was
undergoing emergency surgery this morning. Police and WorkCover
investigators returned to the scene this morning to examine the dropped
load and the crane.
CFMEUsenior organiser Peter Harris said this morning that from his
conversations with management at the scene, “it would seem there has been
some sort of human error”. “From what I can gather, the employees may
have been trying to remove components from the load while it was under
the control of the crane crew,” he said. Mr Harris explained that a
300-tonne crane like the one used at the site by subcontractor Boom
Logistics would have an operator and a man on the ground controlling the
load. Under
WorkCover guidelines, crane crew members are responsible for the load
and no other workers should be involved until the it is on the ground, Mr
Harris said. If the employees were trying to do something with that load
it’s something that is going to have to be very closely examined,” he said.
Crews who were on the scene at the time have been offered counselling
today. Work on the line, which is used by coal trains and the intercity
passenger service connecting Newcastle with the state’s north-west, began
late last year. It is managed by the Australian Rail Track Corporation,
which has contracted the job to Abigroup.
seriously injured may have been the result of human error.
The Contruction, Forestry, Mining and Electricity Union said today that
the accident in the Hunter Valley late on Tuesday night was likely a result
of a ground crew error. Crews contracted to the Abigroup construction
company were working on a section of rail line at Telarah about 11pm
when a 30-tonne piece of prefabricated track dropped from an on-site
crane, crushing the men below.
Ralph Grigull, whose house backs onto the line, said he was lying in bed
when he heard a crashing sound outside. “It sounded like a truck dumping
its load and then keeling over – you could tell it was an unusual sort of
sound,” he said. “I went outside and one of the lads told me a load had
slipped and that there was a bloke bleeding profusely.” One man died at
the scene, while another two were airlifted to the John Hunter Hospital
with critical arm and leg injuries.
Two others with less serious injuries were taken by road to Maitland
Hospital. It is understood that one of the critically injured men was
undergoing emergency surgery this morning. Police and WorkCover
investigators returned to the scene this morning to examine the dropped
load and the crane.
CFMEUsenior organiser Peter Harris said this morning that from his
conversations with management at the scene, “it would seem there has been
some sort of human error”. “From what I can gather, the employees may
have been trying to remove components from the load while it was under
the control of the crane crew,” he said. Mr Harris explained that a
300-tonne crane like the one used at the site by subcontractor Boom
Logistics would have an operator and a man on the ground controlling the
load. Under
WorkCover guidelines, crane crew members are responsible for the load
and no other workers should be involved until the it is on the ground, Mr
Harris said. If the employees were trying to do something with that load
it’s something that is going to have to be very closely examined,” he said.
Crews who were on the scene at the time have been offered counselling
today. Work on the line, which is used by coal trains and the intercity
passenger service connecting Newcastle with the state’s north-west, began
late last year. It is managed by the Australian Rail Track Corporation,
which has contracted the job to Abigroup.
Ref: The Daily Telegraph., 25th March 2009
Friday, 20 March 2009
Parents sue over death of son at Ballarat Goldfields
The Courier
13/03/2009
THE parents of the teenager killed at Ballarat Goldfields in December are
suing their son's former employer. Noel and Karen Tuddenham are named
as plaintiffs in court documents lodged with the County Court.
Buninyong-based engineering company Midwest Civil is named as the
defendant.
Mr and Mrs Tuddenham are seeking compensation over the death of their
son Damien Patrick Tuddenham, who was 17 when he was killed on
December 11, last year after being struck by a truck at the Woolshed
Gully gold mine.
The documents, prepared for the Tuddenhams by solicitor Justin Burke
state that a claim for compensation was made on February 9 and that the
claim was acknowledged on February 13 by the Victorian WorkCover
Authority.
The claim seeks compensation pursuant to provisions of the Accident
Compensation Act, and payment for funeral and medical expenses,
interest and costs.
It also states that "at all times the plaintiffs were partly dependent on
the earnings of the deceased".
A date for a hearing in the County Court has not been set.
Damien Tuddenham was working on the surface of the mine near a tailings
storage facility when the accident happened.
He was to have turned 18 this year and planned to buy a Holden ute.
A Holden ute conveyed him from his funeral service in December.
Damien Tuddenham's death was one of 21 workplace deaths in Victoria
last year. Of the deaths, 11 occurred in regional areas.
13/03/2009
THE parents of the teenager killed at Ballarat Goldfields in December are
suing their son's former employer. Noel and Karen Tuddenham are named
as plaintiffs in court documents lodged with the County Court.
Buninyong-based engineering company Midwest Civil is named as the
defendant.
Mr and Mrs Tuddenham are seeking compensation over the death of their
son Damien Patrick Tuddenham, who was 17 when he was killed on
December 11, last year after being struck by a truck at the Woolshed
Gully gold mine.
The documents, prepared for the Tuddenhams by solicitor Justin Burke
state that a claim for compensation was made on February 9 and that the
claim was acknowledged on February 13 by the Victorian WorkCover
Authority.
The claim seeks compensation pursuant to provisions of the Accident
Compensation Act, and payment for funeral and medical expenses,
interest and costs.
It also states that "at all times the plaintiffs were partly dependent on
the earnings of the deceased".
A date for a hearing in the County Court has not been set.
Damien Tuddenham was working on the surface of the mine near a tailings
storage facility when the accident happened.
He was to have turned 18 this year and planned to buy a Holden ute.
A Holden ute conveyed him from his funeral service in December.
Damien Tuddenham's death was one of 21 workplace deaths in Victoria
last year. Of the deaths, 11 occurred in regional areas.
Wednesday, 11 March 2009
Sydney club to honour Painting Fall Victim.
Mar 11 2009
A Sydney club will honour the life of long-time supporter Tom Hynes, who
plunged to his death while painting the club's exterior.
The 70-year-old was painting the Maroubra Seals Sports and Community
Club on Tuesday when the gantry he was standing on collapsed.
He fell 40 metres to his death. A colleague was left dangling from his harness
before being rescued. It's understood Mr Hynes was not wearing a harness.
Club president Alan Langford said Mr Hynes was an old friend who would
be missed by all who knew him.
"He's part of the Seals family - he's been around for 30 years," Mr Langford
told AAP."He was a great storyteller and a great bloke."
Mr Langford said the club would meet on Wednesday night to plan an event
in his memory.He said he and other members of the club's management had
attended a counselling session."All the emotions you can think of - frustration,
anger with different things that happened and shock (came out at the session),"
he said.
A WorkCover spokeswoman said an investigation into the incident was ongoing.
Mr Hynes did all of the club's painting, and had also painted the homes of club
members over the years.
He left behind two daughters, a number of grandchildren, a partner and a
former wife.
Ref: Ninemsn
A Sydney club will honour the life of long-time supporter Tom Hynes, who
plunged to his death while painting the club's exterior.
The 70-year-old was painting the Maroubra Seals Sports and Community
Club on Tuesday when the gantry he was standing on collapsed.
He fell 40 metres to his death. A colleague was left dangling from his harness
before being rescued. It's understood Mr Hynes was not wearing a harness.
Club president Alan Langford said Mr Hynes was an old friend who would
be missed by all who knew him.
"He's part of the Seals family - he's been around for 30 years," Mr Langford
told AAP."He was a great storyteller and a great bloke."
Mr Langford said the club would meet on Wednesday night to plan an event
in his memory.He said he and other members of the club's management had
attended a counselling session."All the emotions you can think of - frustration,
anger with different things that happened and shock (came out at the session),"
he said.
A WorkCover spokeswoman said an investigation into the incident was ongoing.
Mr Hynes did all of the club's painting, and had also painted the homes of club
members over the years.
He left behind two daughters, a number of grandchildren, a partner and a
former wife.
Ref: Ninemsn
Monday, 9 March 2009
Four years on and no one has been punished for Nathan Parks death ?
"Hasn't this Family Suffered Enough!"
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