Kwintando yakhe “Kulahlekile 411” uthotho lweencwadi malunga nokunyamalala okungaqhelekanga, elinye lamatyala angaqhelekanga agqunywe ngumphandi kunye nowayesakuba lipolisa UDavid Paulides amaziko ajikeleze inkwenkwe eneminyaka eli-10 ubudala egama linguDamian McKenzie owanyamalala ngokungaqondakaliyo e-Australia kwiimeko ezingaqhelekanga ngo-1974 ngaphandle komkhondo.
NgoSeptemba waloo nyaka, uMcKenzie neqela lolunye ulutsha olungamashumi amane babekwinkampu yolutsha kwiintaba zeOstreliya iLizwana laseVictoria, kufuphi neeNgxangxasi zeVictoria noMlambo iAcheron eTaggerty. Inkampu ngokwayo yayiqhutywa ngu “Iligi eNtsha yaseOstreliya,” kwaye yayijongwe ukuba ibe lukhenketho olulula lweentsuku ezi-5 apho abafundi babezakuhamba uhambo kwaye bathathe inxaxheba kwimisebenzi eyahlukeneyo yangaphandle, akukho nto iyingozi kakhulu. Inkampu yayijongwe kakuhle, yaye akuzange kubekho ngxaki okanye siganeko ngaphambili, kodwa oko kwakuza kutshintsha ngokuphawulekayo.
NgoSeptemba 4, 1974, eli qela lathabatha uhambo oluya eSteavenson Falls eMarysville, eVictoria, nto leyo eyayibandakanya ukunyuka indledlana emajikojiko ukusuka entabeni ukuya kwiingxangxasi. Uhambo lwalunzima, kodwa iqela lalibekwe esweni ngokusondeleyo kwaye wonke umntu wayekuluhlu olubonakalayo lwabanye. Kuthiwa uDamien uye wahamba phambi kwabanye ngaxesha lithile, wathi shwaka ngokufutshane emehlweni, kodwa xa itheko lafika lijike, akazange afumaneke ndawo.
Ukongamela akazange akwazi ukuyifumana le nkwenkwana ngokugqogqa indawo leyo, ethetha nayo ayizange iphendule; kwakubonakala ngathi usandul’ ukuphumela ngaphandle kwesi sijikelezi-langa. Xa abasemagunyeni baxelelwa, enye yezona zinto zinkulu zokukhangela kwimbali yase-Australia yasungulwa ukuze bamfumane, ebandakanya abantu abangaphezu kwama-300 abavela kwiiarhente ezahlukeneyo, kubandakanya amapolisa, iSearch and Rescue Squad, iFederation of Victorian Walking Clubs Search and Rescue Section, IKhomishini Yamahlathi yaseVictoria, uMnqamlezo oBomvu, kunye namavolontiya amaninzi asekuhlaleni, kunye nokusetyenziswa kwenqwelomoya kunye nezinja zokulandelela ukukhangela intlango engavumelekanga. Ukukhangela kwathatha iveki kwaye ekugqibeleni kwamiswa ngenxa yemozulu embi ngaphandle kokufumana uphawu olunye lukaDamian McKenzie, ikamva lakhe elingaziwa.
Kuya kubakho izinto ezingaqhelekanga, ngokukaDavid Paulides ngexesha lokukhangela. Ngomnye, uthi izinja zokulandelela azikwazanga ukuthatha naliphi na ivumba lenkwenkwe. Yayingekuko ukuba baye bathabatha umkhondo baze baphulukane nawo; kunokuba, izinja ayikwazanga ukufumana naziphi na ufundo ivumba inkwenkwe kwaphela, ukujikeleza ngeenxa zonke kwizangqa, ungaqinisekanga ukuba bekumele ukuba ukukhangela. Olunye uthsuphe olungaqhelekanga, ngokukaPaulides, kukuba imikhondo yale nkwenkwe yafunyaniswa ikhokelela kanye kwelinye icala leengxangxasi emva koko yema ngokungathi iye yajika yaba ngumphunga apho kuloo ndawo. Lo ngumkhondo ongaqhelekanga, nangona kungacacanga ukuba uyinyani kangakanani na, njengoko enye ingcali yophando ngetyala eligama linguValentine Smith yathi:
Umdla wokwazi uya ukhula. Enoba iinyawo ezinyamalalayo ezingaqhelekanga zizihombiso okanye akunjalo, inyaniso ihleli kukuba uDamian okanye naluphi na uphawu lwakhe aluzange lufumaneke, nto leyo eyakhokelela kuthotho lweengcamango malunga noko kwenzeka kuye. Enye inokwenzeka kukuba wasuka walahleka etyholweni. Indawo ababehamba kuyo yayiphawulwe njengeenduli kwaye inamahlathi ashinyeneyo, inebrashi enzima kunye namagqabi awayengenakuhambeka kwiindawo ezininzi. Kwanabasebenzi bokukhangela nabahlanguli bavumile ukuba le nkwenkwana yayinokuba yayikumgama nje weemitha ezimbalwa ukusuka apho yaye kusenokwenzeka ukuba babengayiboni. Ukuba waye wankqonkqozwa ngokuwa, wafa ngenxa ye-hypothermia kubushushu obuqhaqhazelisa amazinyo, okanye ngenye indlela ukhubazeke kwaye akakwazi nokufowuna, kunokwenzeka ukuba utyando beluya kumkhumbula.
Ingxaki kukuba wayengabonakali nje okwemizuzwana, ngoko wayenokuhamba njani kude kangaka kwiqela, kwaye kwakutheni ukuze angaphenduli kwigama lakhe elibizwe ngokukhawuleza emva kokunyamalala kwakhe?
Enye ithiyori yeyokuba wawa ngobundlobongela kwithambeka eliliqhina wawela kumlambo iSteavenson River, apho uye wakhukuliseka waza warhaxwa, nangona abaphandi bawugqogqa ngokucokisekileyo umlambo ongekho nzulu nohamba kade kwaye babeqinisekile ukuba wayengekho. . Ngaba bona, kwelinye icala, babenokungamhoyi?
Kukwakho nokuba wawa phantsi kwishafti yemigodi, njengoko le ndawo yayisetyenziselwa ukukhangela igolide ukuya kuthi ga kwinqanaba elithile, kwaye ngelixa zonke iishafti ezaziwayo zemigodi kudala zivaliwe ukunqanda oku kungenzeki, mhlawumbi kukho ezinye ezilahlekileyo. kwaye ulibele. Okuyoyikeka ngakumbi kukuba kungenzeka ukuba uDamian athinjwe, kodwa amangqina athi kwakungekho mqondiso wamntu ungaqhelekanga kuloo ngingqi, kwaye imbonakalo yelizwe ibiya kwenza kube nzima ukuba umqweqwedisi axhwile inkwenkwe aze ayifudusele kwenye indawo, ngokulula nje. indlela yokwenza oko kuba phantsi komzila.
Ekugqibeleni, asazi ukuba kwenzeka ntoni kuDamien McKenzie. Sishiyeke sizibuza ukuba unokuba njani angabikho okwethutyana aze anyamalale emhlabeni. Sishiyeke neengxelo zikaPaulides zokuba kukho iingoma ezithe zanyamalala ngokoqobo embindini wokukhwela kwaye izinja zokulandelela zazibhideke ngokupheleleyo, kodwa akucaci ukuba le nto inokuqinisekiswa kangakanani. Ngaba le nkwenkwe yayilahlekile, yathinjwa, yabulawa zizilwanyana zasendle, okanye mhlawumbi ilixhoba lamandla angaziwayo? Nokuba imeko yayinjani na, le nkwenkwana ayizange ifunyanwe, yaye ityala layo lisahlala lingekasonjululwa unanamhla.
