Kokuthandwa kwakhe “Kulahleke abangu-411” uchungechunge lwezincwadi ngokunyamalala okungajwayelekile, elinye lamacala abucayi ambozwe umphenyi kanye nowayeyiphoyisa UDavid Paulides izungeze umfana oneminyaka eyishumi ubudala ogama lakhe linguDamian McKenzie owanyamalala ngendlela engaqondakali e-Australia ezimweni ezingajwayelekile emuva ngonyaka we-10.
NgoSepthemba walowo nyaka, uMcKenzie neqembu labanye abasebasha abangamashumi amane babesekamu lentsha ezintabeni zase-Australia State of Victoria, ngaseVictoria Falls nase-Acheron River eTaggerty. Ikamu uqobo lwalo beliphethwe yi “I-Young Australia League,” futhi bekuhloswe ukuthi kube wuhambo olulula lwezinsuku ezi-5 lapho abafundi bebezohamba khona futhi bahlanganyele emisebenzini ehlukahlukene yangaphandle, akukho okuyingozi kakhulu. Ikamu laligadiwe kahle, futhi kwakungakaze kube nenkinga noma isehlakalo phambilini, kepha lokho kwase kuzoshintsha kakhulu.
NgoSepthemba 4, 1974, leli qembu lathatha uhambo lwaya eSteavenson Falls eMarysville, eVictoria, okwakuhilela ukunyuka umzila omazombezombe usuka entabeni uye ezimpophomeni. Lokhu kukhuphuka kwakunzima, kepha iqembu laligadiwe kakhulu futhi wonke umuntu wayebukelwa njengabanye. UDamien kuthiwa waqhubekela phambili kunabanye ngesinye isikhathi, wanyamalala isikhashana emehlweni, kepha ngesikhathi iqembu lizungeza umgoqo, akabange esatholakala.
Ukugadwa akukwazanga ukuthola umfana ngokusesha endaweni, ukukhuluma naye akuzange kuphendulwe; kwabonakala sengathi wayesanda kwehla emhlabeni. Ngenkathi iziphathimandla zaziswa, kwaqalwa enye yezindlela ezinkulu kakhulu zokusesha emlandweni wase-Australia ukumthola, okubandakanya abantu abangaphezu kwama-300 abavela ezinhlanganweni ezahlukahlukene, kubandakanya namaphoyisa, i-Search and Rescue Squad, iFederal of Victorian Walking Clubs Search and Rescue Section, i IForestry Commission yaseVictoria, iSiphambano Esibomvu, kanye namavolontiya amaningi endawo, kanye nokusetshenziswa kwamabhanoyi nezinja zokulandela umkhondo ukuze zihlole leli hlane elingavunyelwe. Ukucinga kudonse isikhathi esingaphezu kwesonto futhi ekugcineni kwamiswa ngenxa yesimo sezulu esibi ngaphandle kokuthola uphawu olulodwa lukaDamian McKenzie, ikusasa lakhe elingaziwa.
Kungaba nezici ezithile ezingajwayelekile, ngokusho kukaDavid Paulides ngesikhathi kuseshwa. Kokunye, uthi izinja zokulandela umkhondo azikwazanga ukuthatha iphunga lomfana. Kwakungekhona ukuthi bathatha umzila base belahla wona; esikhundleni salokho, izinja bezingakutholi nhlobo ukufundelwa iphunga lomfana, bezungeza imibuthano, bengaqiniseki ukuthi kufanele ngabe bafuna ini. Okunye ukusikisela okuyisisekelo, ngokusho kukaPaulides, ukuthi amathrekhi omfana atholakele ukuthi aholele ngaphesheya kolunye uhlangothi lwempophoma abese emisa nje sengathi uhwamukile khona lapho. Lokhu kuyinkomba engajwayelekile, yize kungacaci ukuthi iyiqiniso kangakanani, njengoba uchwepheshe othile wophenyo kuleli cala ogama lakhe linguValentine Smith esho:
Ilukuluku liyaqhubeka likhula. Noma ngabe ukunyathela okungajwayelekile kokunyamalala kungumhlobiso noma cha, iqiniso lihlala likhona ukuthi akekho uDamian noma yisiphi isibonakaliso sakhe esake satholakala, okuholele ekubulaweni kwemibono ngokwenzekile kuye. Okunye okungenzeka ukuthi wamane waduka ehlathini. Indawo lapho bebezonyuka khona izintaba ibiphawulwa njengamagquma namahlathi aminyene, ngebhulashi elinzima namahlamvu obekungahambeki ezindaweni eziningi. Ngisho nabaseshi nabezokuhlenga bavumile ukuthi umfana kungenzeka ukuthi ubeqhele ngamamitha ambalwa nje futhi kungenzeka ukuthi bebengamqapheli. Ukube waquleka wawa waquleka, wabulawa yi-hypothermia emazingeni okubanda ashubisa umnkantsha, noma ngabe wayekhubazekile futhi engakwazi ukufona, kungenzeka ukuthi ukuhlinzwa kwakuzomkhumbula.
Inkinga ukuthi ubengabonwa isikhashana nje, ngakho-ke ubengaya kanjani kude neqembu, futhi kungani ebengaphenduli ekubizweni kwegama lakhe ngemuva nje kokunyamalala kwakhe?
Enye inkolelo ithi wehla ngamandla wehla emthambekeni futhi wawela eMfuleni iSteavenson, lapho egeze khona waminza, yize abacwaningi bacwaninga kahle umfula ongajulile futhi ohamba kancane futhi beqiniseka ukuthi akekho . Ngakolunye uhlangothi, kungenzeka yini ukuthi babengamnaki?
Kukhona futhi nethuba lokuthi wawa phansi ku-mineshaft, njengoba indawo ekuqaleni yayisetshenziselwa ukuthola igolide ngezinga elithile, futhi ngenkathi yonke imiphongolo yezimayini eyaziwa kudala ivinjelwe ukuvimbela lokhu ukuthi kungenzeki, mhlawumbe kukhona okuningi okulahlekile futhi ukhohliwe. Okumangalisa kakhulu ukuthi kungenzeka ukuthi uDamian uthunjiwe, kodwa ofakazi bathi bekungekho uphawu lomuntu ongajwayelekile kule ndawo, kanti nesimo sendawo bekuzokwenza kube nzima ukuthi umthumbi ahlwithe umfana bese emhambisa kabusha ngempumelelo, okulula kuphela indlela yokwenza kanjalo ukuhla kulowo mzila.
Ekugcineni, asazi ukuthi kwenzekani kuDamien McKenzie. Sisale sizibuza ukuthi kungenzeka kanjani ukuthi angabonakali emehlweni isikhashana bese anyamalale ebusweni bomhlaba. Sisele nezitatimende zikaPaulides zokuthi kunamathrekhi anyamalala ngokoqobo maphakathi nohambo nokuthi izinja ze-tracker zadideka ngokuphelele, kodwa akucaci ukuthi lokhu kuqinisekiswa kanjani. Ngabe lo mfana ulahlekile, wathunjwa, wabulawa yizilwane zasendle, noma mhlawumbe isisulu samabutho angaziwa? Noma ngabe isimo besinjani, umfana akazange atholakale, futhi icala lakhe alisaxazululwa kuze kube namuhla.
