In the early hours of Monday 1st March 1937, Bernard O'Reilly and the locals were organising 2 rescue parties. The first led by Bernard and accompanied by Dr Lawler would follow Bernard's route back up the Christmas Creek to the Stinson survivors.
Another party would cut a 14 mile long track along the ridge to ferry out the stretchers (Bernard’s fast route was too steep and treacherous for men to carry stretchers, even the ridge route required men at the front to carry the stretcher extended over their heads while the men at the back held it below knee height, in an attempt to keep it relatively level).
Bernard’s party started out at 3am and arrived at the wreck site around 11am. They triaged the survivors and carried them up to the ridge.
The Ridge party arrived around sunset.
Another party would cut a 14 mile long track along the ridge to ferry out the stretchers (Bernard’s fast route was too steep and treacherous for men to carry stretchers, even the ridge route required men at the front to carry the stretcher extended over their heads while the men at the back held it below knee height, in an attempt to keep it relatively level).
Bernard’s party started out at 3am and arrived at the wreck site around 11am. They triaged the survivors and carried them up to the ridge.
The Ridge party arrived around sunset.
Dr Lawler had been prepared to amputate Proud’s leg at the crash site but as the fly maggots had eaten the putrid flesh, they
had actually slowed down/prevented gangrene infection setting in and poisoning the leg. The leg was saved but Proud never regained full use of the limb.
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