Private Search Party for missing bushwalker Mt Koscuiskzo

[wayno]

given what they are supposed to be doing, its pretty amateurish they are videoing their urine in the snow.... no professional SAR team would let the behaviour going on in this video continue.. people like this wouldnt be let loose on a professionally organised search, they'd at least be given a lot more training before being allowed on a search, the way they are behaving now they wouldnt be allowed on any search, SAR organisations take their job pretty seriously...

[colinm]

I believe these are some of the people the family have brought out from Canada to search? One would think they have never seen snow before.. What a complete and utter waste of money.

They say 20 people are 'searching', at $250 per person per day, they're burning through $5K a day just on per diem costs. Add flights .ca<->.au, helicopters, etc. Not much change from $500K. Doesn't look like good value for money to me.

Colin.

[Travis22]

I cringed at one of the psychic medium's comments, where she has decribed the orientation in which he is lying. Then her comment asking if the sun rose in the east in Australia......

Yes!

I dont know what to say. I saw all of that, and at the time i couldnt help but think of Jayson Richards who went missing back in 2011 driving from NT > SA. This to me was the first time id experienced such a case where Facebook and other social media was used by the family of the missing person.

Given i have driven that route numerous times and have done a lot of outback traveling all across Australia, his case really really hit close to home and i followed his case as closely as possible. Plenty of these 'psychics' jumped all over it which IMO was sickening. It was a complete mess, and the aftermath has been equally as traumatic with his brother committing suicide. In the end, i couldnt believe the coroners findings, which went against everything the family had been basically ramming down out throats on social media (facebook)... No drugs etc he was a complete angle ... Then it turns out he committed suicide because he was in a state of amphetamine psychosis after having taken a mix of energy drinks, no doze and methamphetamine's. 2100km in 25hours. Ive done 2000km in 24hours before and it isnt pretty. Again this case seriously hit close to home but it was a bit of an eye opener for me re: social media and the grief processes of a family with a missing family member.

.............................

Wayon, completely agree and i did think about it all day before posting the video. I thought the exact same thing, clearly the video doesnt tell the whole story. But i really yanked on my chain. After all of the bad mouthing the family has done re: the official SAR, this is something they are happy to 'promote'?? Videoing pissing in the snow and walking along the main track where clearly it is a GIVEN that he is not there... what a waste.

Travis.

[Nuts]

Are they part of the search party?

[colinm]

Are they part of the search party?

That footage is linked from the FB group, by the FB page owner, here: https://www.facebook.com/HelpFindPrabhS ... ion=stream

The comment below it, by the FB page owner is "20 ppl out there still searching hard." So I think it is reasonable to deduce that these are some of the 20 searchers, and they are "searching hard." It does look a bit like a party, yeah.

[Nuts]

Yes, I saw that.

"Published on May 23, 2013"

[Travis22]

'They' are also the same people who can be viewed in the earlier 'linked' images shared by the family.

The video together with the above mentioned photographs pretty much summed up their efforts thus far for me.

Cutting down the trees / bushes to build a shelter which was completely worthless, wasteful and disrespectful. Im sure they videoed it too, must have been great fun.

Why were they even camped up there, clearly if the bloke is out there he would more then likely be down under the tree line. Id have no issues what so ever had they cleared some places to pitch a tent on their way down towards the Opera House Hut or in LNC. Or more West, North West of Townsend.

.....................

Nuts; what was published on May 23, 2013?

The video went up early this morning and the page creator's comments re: the 20 people out there searching still was made about 10hours ago, today.

Travis.

[wayno]

at the start they do seem to be searching as they fossic in the scrub albeit briefly...

[Nuts]

Thanks Wayno... well done!!

Travis... that video- it seems to have been published six weeks ago. Can you link to the images you mention please?

[juz]

Nuts is correct I think.
If you look at the Youtube video it was posted on the 23 of May, further, the edited copy of this video was published on the 22 of May, with the discription of "Sam Josh and Tom hiking the main range walk from Charlotte Pass."
So by the 22nd of May this crew had time to edit their video. I guess they walked earlier then that. It looks like an innocent, enjoyable bushwalk. I would becareful slandering these guys and jumping to conclusions that may or may not be correct.

[stepbystep]

Nuts is correct I think.
......I would be careful slandering these guys and jumping to conclusions that may or may not be correct.

Not the way this thread has been dealt with thus far...

[wayno]

then what is this comment underneath the video?? it clearly relates to teh search, as if tom is aware of or part of the search the poster is talking about

"Acacia Rose 1 month ago
Hi Tom - great vision. Could you email K7 Adventures please: SMS: xxxxxxxxxxxx. We need to talk to you about your trip and the conditions. It's about the dates and the ongoing search. Thank you."

[stepbystep]

then what is this comment underneath the video?? it clearly relates to teh search, as if tom is aware of or part of the search the poster is talking about

"Acacia Rose 1 month ago
Hi Tom - great vision. Could you email K7 Adventures please: SMS: xxxxxxxxxxxx. We need to talk to you about your trip and the conditions. It's about the dates and the ongoing search. Thank you."

Anything. Perhaps they had to co-ordinate the alien spacecraft?!?!?

My journalistic experiences says not to publish unless you know what you are saying.

[Stew63]

The way I see the YouTube video link posted by Travis (unless I'm looking at the wrong one or unless I've missread the postings in this thread) - the guys in the video have nothing to do with the search - they were enjoying a private hiking party of their own at about the same time as the missing hiker. Obviously someone involved with the search (K7 Adventures) has recently discovered their video and noticing that is was posted a few days after the hiker went missing thought these guys just might have some more information or a sighting during their walk and hence attempted to make contact via YouTube comments. The poster (K7 Adventures) in his comments doesn't know Tom Batty but can see Tom posted the original video, so is asking Tom to contact them.

[wayno]

enjoying a private hike, fossicking around in the scrub looking for something.....

[Travis22]

The way I see the YouTube video link posted by Travis (unless I'm looking at the wrong one or unless I've missread the postings in this thread) - the guys in the video have nothing to do with the search - they were enjoying a private hiking party of their own at about the same time as the missing hiker. Obviously someone involved with the search (K7 Adventures) has recently found their video and noticing that is was posted a few days after the hiker went missing thought these guys just might have some more information or a sighting during their walk and hence attempted to make contact via YouTube comments.

Looks like i put my foot in it. Sorry i didnt even look at the clip in Youtube, i just clicked on it from their Facebook page where it was posted today.

Travis.

[FatCanyoner]

The way I see the YouTube video link posted by Travis the guys in the video have nothing to do with the search

Then why did the family share that video 16 hours ago on the official search facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/HelpFindPrabhSrawn) with the comment "20 ppl out there still searching hard". Seems like they are suggesting some link to the search. Why else would they share a video of some random guys with no other connection to things? And why would they make their comment? Any reasonable person looking at the search page would assume that video indicated that the search was ongoing and this was part of it.

I highly recommend that people keep track of the facebook page if they're interested in this case.

[Travis22]

Going back over the images posted earlier of the people while camped in seamans hut, and the people in the video, with the information about when the video was uploaded i now believe its highly unlikely that the guys in the video had anything to do with the families private search party but again having only viewed the video shortly after it was put on their facebook page this morning i had no reason to think it was anything but a video of theirs filmed while out searching.

Travis.

[jonnosan]

whoops posted in error

[Stew63]

It can't be a part of the private search party and unlikely to be part of the official search party. (The official search party went from 20th May until about 29th May)

The 'official search' was still well underway during the 23rd of May (the date the video was uploaded to YouTube) although soon to be downsized. The 'private search' didn't begin until some time well after the 23rd of May. Bear in mind Tom Batty may not have posted his video until a week or more after his cold/snowy May trip...

Although I know nothing of FaceBook I guess the family can link or post whatever random link/photos they want on their FaceBook page - including some random link showing the cold/snowy conditions of the Main Range during May by some unknown hikers whom someone (private searchers) are now attempting to contact to establish any sighting during their May trip - actual dates unknown although sometime prior to the 23rd May? (BTW My wife and her friends add random video and photo links to their FaceBook pages all the time - is it illegal?)

Looking at Tom's video when they returned to their snowy car at Charlottes Pass I don't see any official search vehicles (i.e. SES, Police, 4WDs etc.) - in fact I see no other vehicles at all - doesn't seem like the thick of a search to me - so the video was probably taken some time prior to the official search beginning on 20th of May.

[Nuts]

Travis, it was a question though it doesn't seem likely that they were part of the family search party

Matt wants the topic kept open, i agree there are some great discussion points and people seem to want to have it here...

Maybe a bit bland in comparison but perhaps the end question (seeing as S&R/Police? are dropping by) is if family members on extended searches should be arrested?

If not, if it's not 'illegal' then what should happen in these cases- when the money runs out?

[Travis22]

I was up around Buffalo on the weekend - just got home before.

If the conditions are like i experienced yesterday and today, or worse around Kosciusko (id assume very likely however my last assumption didnt work out too well for me so...)

I would think the time is very near that regardless of how they are grieving they will know and understand that there is nothing more they can do or should attempt to do until the majority of the snow is gone.

Travis.

[colinm]

Well, it's clear they can't be the searchers. I'd thought they were, from the context. Thanks for correcting my error.

[DarrenM]

Acacia is a local guide. I've said it before and I'll say it again...lots of assumptions and hearsay.

[colinm]

I've said it before and I'll say it again...lots of assumptions and hearsay.

You say that like it's a bad thing.

Hearsay is not admissible in court but it can be acceptable to reason from it. It's used to establish things like 'probable cause' as a basis for developing leads and conducting investigation. Assumptions are what we make (and hopefully flag clearly) when trying to reason (contingently) in the absence of complete information.

If one has to wait for total information to think about some things, it will be a long, long wait. Sometimes one has to punt on incomplete information, to formulate hypotheses which must then be tested. They should then be tested, of course

[Onestepmore]

Psychic help
https://victoriastaffordapsychicinvesti ... july-2013/

[frenchy_84]

I highly recommend that people keep track of the facebook page if they're interested in this case.

So we can further criticise and ridicule a family going thru their grieving process?


This situation of a family conducting a private search (and using Facebook for assistance) once the authorities have finished the official search isnt anything out of the ordinary. A few years ago 2 fisherman went missing at Port Davey, the families didnt have the financial backing that these people seem to, so they used Facebook to organise volunteer searches and fundraising. They too were critical of the authorities because they had the emotional connection they couldnt comprehend why they would stop searching for their missing loved ones.

[colinm]

So we can further criticise and ridicule a family going thru their grieving process?

It's not like strong emotions innoculate actions against criticism.

[wayno]

if you criticise publicly, someone is going to respond to that criticism publicly. if the family didnt criticise publicly and just got on with the search they may have been perceived differently and come in for less criticism... if sar found the missing man i'm sure their comments would be totally different even though sar would have done nothing different....
sar have their limitations, sure the family are grieving but we all need to be able to pull back from that grief

my father died earlier this year, from what i can make out it may be he was unecessarily medicated to death. medical authorities just ignore the facts i present despite the fact i can find matching cases of people dying on his medication regime in the same manner... in the end i had to let it go. no one was going to take it any further. i could bankrupt myself trying to take a legal case, but theres no inertia from the authorities, my family want it left alone , we still have lives to get on with... so i accepted the situation and moved on. i spoke to his doctor and in my opinion she acted according to the information she had at hand she thought was right at the time, she believed she was doing no harm.. the odds are against me being able to make a difference so it was better to just let it go rather than try and go public and alienate a lot of people and attract a lot of criticism as someone who has no proven medical background...

[colinm]

Here's a photo (from FB) of the SAR aerial search log. It looks comprehensive to me.