TV: 'Miracle in The Desert'
Submitted: Wednesday, Feb 09, 2011 at 18:30
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Allan B (Sunshine Coast)
On ABC2 tonight at 8.30 is a repeat of the documentary 'Miracle in
The Desert'
Here is the synopsis:
"Alaskan fireman Robert Bogucki went missing in Western Australia's
Great Sandy Desert in July, 1999. Bogucki survived 43 days and was eventually found some 400km from his departure point by an Australian television news helicopter. He'd lost 30 kilograms, endured six weeks without food and 12 days without water but miraculously survived one of the world's most inhospitable wildernesses. Bogucki is not a typical adventurer. He is not interested in being the first or the fastest. Nor is he interested in fame or notoriety. He decided to cross the Australian
Great Sandy Desert in an attempt to find solitude in one of the world's last untamed wildernesses."
He almost found everlasting solitude!
Reply By: Member - Stephen L (Clare SA) - Wednesday, Feb 09, 2011 at 19:46
Wednesday, Feb 09, 2011 at 19:46
Hi Allan
When I saw the documentary last time I thought that he was a very lucky man to survive, but a few things did not seem right, and the mistakes that he was doing for a man that should have known better seemed very..........
When we were last over in the West, we got speaking to a couple of locals, as you do, one of whom was an ex WA Police Officer. Started speaking about their great deserts and Robert Bogucki some how come into the conversation. Their thoughts was it was a very expensive stunt, that cost the WA tax payers a lot of money and he personally should not have been able to leave Australia until he personally paid for the costs involved in the search and rescue.
At least
the desert scenery was great.
Cheers
Stephen
AnswerID:
444798
Follow Up By: Allan B (Sunshine Coast) - Wednesday, Feb 09, 2011 at 20:04
Wednesday, Feb 09, 2011 at 20:04
G'day Stephen, I have not seen this before and will now watch it with a critical eye after your comments.
"....endured six weeks without food and 12 days without water..." is pretty difficult to believe even in the cooler month of July!
So often with these big whacky-doo events they take on a different aspect after talking to people within "the know". On the few occasions that I have been directly involved in an event that made media news, the published item had significant errors.
Ah
well, I look forward to
the desert scenery.
FollowupID:
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Follow Up By: Member - Stephen L (Clare SA) - Wednesday, Feb 09, 2011 at 20:15
Wednesday, Feb 09, 2011 at 20:15
Hi Allan
You will enjoy watching it. From what I was told, there were times when he hid from the rescuers, so he could not be found, but this is never shown in the doco.
Cheers
Stephen
FollowupID:
716944
Follow Up By: equinox - Wednesday, Feb 09, 2011 at 20:31
Wednesday, Feb 09, 2011 at 20:31
Crikey I was only researching this topic last night...
This policeman didn't happen to be an ex Senior Sergeant from
Broome did he?
It's a great doco....That Garrison St. Clair is cool, though I had to laugh when his cap blew off from the wind from the helicopter.
Image Could Not Be Found
If anyone knows the whereabouts of the Help sign, somewhere I'm guessing between the
Edgar Range and the
Mclarty Hills inclusively please let me know.
Image Could Not Be Found
Not sure about whether the recovery of costs should be billed to him. Bogucki did not ask to be rescued. Also his parents did donate $25000 to WA's emergency
services.
Cheers
Alan
FollowupID:
716950
Follow Up By: Member - Stephen L (Clare SA) - Wednesday, Feb 09, 2011 at 20:50
Wednesday, Feb 09, 2011 at 20:50
Hi Alan
The Policeman I think was an ex Sergeant, but ex TRG and then firearms instructor, I will say no more, as he will most likely read my reply....he is a great guy and I have had a number of contacts with him since and he is welcome to stay at our house any time he is over here in SA.
You are right about that he did not want to be rescued. But could you hear the news headline if we did not get out there.
Cheers
Stephen
FollowupID:
716960
Follow Up By: Mick O - Wednesday, Feb 09, 2011 at 21:15
Wednesday, Feb 09, 2011 at 21:15
G’day Al,
You’ll have to let me know just what area he was in. That’s a fair bit of real estate between the Edgars and the McLarty’s. While not intimately familiar with the story, for some reason I thought he was found further south on the Anna Plains Track area.
Having travelled that area in July last year (2010) there is plenty of water to be found out there. Much of the GSD forms a massive Palaeodrainage area running in a crescent shape between the 123 and 125th meridians. Again, I’d be interested to see what the BoM rainfall stats were for the area in mid 1999 as much of the soak areas hold water for considerable periods of time. It would also not be too difficult to access water in those areas where the water table is close to the surface. There are also known springs such as Dragon Tree and Elizabeth soaks that provide permanent water. I’ll have to get on Iview and have a look.
This GE image shows the drainage area over several hundred km of the GSD.
Image Could Not Be Found
Cheers Mick
FollowupID:
716965
Follow Up By: equinox - Wednesday, Feb 09, 2011 at 21:32
Wednesday, Feb 09, 2011 at 21:32
Hi Mick,
The clues from the paper are pretty light on.
He was found near a creek near Mowla
Bluff, and the Help sign was found "near the edge of a rocky gorge".
I'm pretty sure he left from the Anna Plains track as he came from the Sandfire Roadhouse.
The 1st Special Response Group have a website and an email. I'll see how I get on with them.
Cheers
Alan
FollowupID:
716968
Follow Up By: Member - Dunworkin (WA) - Thursday, Feb 10, 2011 at 00:33
Thursday, Feb 10, 2011 at 00:33
"The Policeman I think was an ex Sergeant, but ex TRG and then firearms instructor, I will say no more, as he will most likely read my reply....he is a great guy and I have had a number of contacts with him since and he is welcome to stay at our house any time he is over here in SA. "
Interesting Stephen, very interesting.
Cheers
Deanna
FollowupID:
717020
Follow Up By: Bazooka - Thursday, Feb 10, 2011 at 12:34
Thursday, Feb 10, 2011 at 12:34
'...a very expensive stunt, that cost the WA tax payers a lot of money and he personally should not have been able to leave Australia until he personally paid for the costs involved in the search and rescue. '
This (general) argument (ludicrous in most cases) has surely been done to death Stephen so I won't go over the same ground yet again. Will be watching the story tho'.
FollowupID:
717088
Reply By: Allan B (Sunshine Coast) - Wednesday, Feb 09, 2011 at 23:47
Wednesday, Feb 09, 2011 at 23:47
Hmm,
well it was entertaining and if one is without other information, perhaps believable although astonishing. There may be more to it than what was presented though.
Good desert scenes however. Wish I could get out there at the moment.
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