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Safety warning to prospectors

It has reached that time of year when the mercury rises faster than expected in many outback regions around the county — and the Goldfields is no exception.

Despite summer being considered the off-season for rock kickers, there are still many who brave the searing heat in a bid to find their fortune or at least eke out a living.

With the Bureau of Meteorology predicting a warmer than normal start to 2015, including a 62 per cent likelihood of above-average temperatures in Kalgoorlie-Boulder from January to March, there is no room for complacency.

Amalgamated Prospectors and Leaseholders Association president Mike Lucas considers it an irony that overseas visitors or tourists are often better versed on the dangers associated with rising Australian temperatures than Goldfields veterans.

He recalled the early days when thousands perished in the inhospitable outback.

“The gold rush to Siberia back in the 1900s, it is believed that up to 1300 died — there was no water — this is the sort of thing that can happen,” he said.

“Ensuring the person has a sufficient quantity of water is the first thing — you’re probably looking at about 500ml an hour.

“To give you an idea, a firefighter, when he’s fighting a fire, they suggest he drinks 600ml every half an hour.”

But carrying an ample supply of water is not the only way to guard against summertime perils.

Mr Lucas suggested a shady hat and a locator beacon should be at the top of the list, as well as communicating your planned itinerary.

“The dangers are very real,” he said.

“Make sure you let someone know where you’re going; at least then people know that route you were taking. Simple things like that make a big difference for the police and the SES.

“There’s people that have gone missing that we’ve never seen again, there’s people that have gone missing in the bush and they have unfortunately been found deceased.

“It’s a beautiful country, but it’ll kill you as soon as look at you.”

In 2013, nine prospectors were reported missing to WA Police. Of these, only one was carrying a personal locator beacon and was found within four hours.

Eighty-year-old prospector Ralph Craig sparked a police search in May last year when he failed to return to Coolgardie while exploring with a friend.

A month before, Peter O’Shaughnessy, 76, also went missing in the Goldfields.

Both men were found the following day in good health.

But it is not always a happy ending for those who wander off without adequate supplies.

The bush proved deadly for Michael Graham in 2013, who died near Menzies despite a month-long search by police that covered more than 1500sqkm.


Prospector Peter O'Shaughnessy recovers in hospital after his ordeal in May 2014. Picture: Paul Braven