Mobile Phones in the Outback

Monday 4th June. When we went to get some “Barra & Chips” that Gary & Rhonda were preparing on Saturday night, and arrived about 7.20pm as a young man was trying to describe where he had left three friends stranded aground downstream “somewhere” in one of Gary & Rhonda’s hire boats. As the saga unfolded it seems the two hired boats had been together. (he had left them????) It was interesting to observe the current generations absolute reliance on mobile phones. When this young man tried to phone his friends for a more précis description of their location, offcourse he could not make satisfactory connection, so he was asking if he could use other peoples phones, that may work better. It was difficult for him to comprehend that the signal only extends a couple of kilometres from the centre of the Nauiyu Mission that it is intended to service, and his friends were beyond that. A generation of young people programmed by the Telcos to expect mobile phones to work everywhere!
As preparations for rescue were being activated and alerts sent out to properties downstream Jeanette & I just hoped the grounded boat occupants did not decide to wade to shore over the sandbar, not at crocodile feeding time, while stuck on the crocodile’s dinner plate!!!
Before the formal rescue effort commenced a property owner reported having found them and they were now safely ashore, where they were told to remain until picked up by motor vehicle. Then Gary & Rhonda served us our “Barra & Chips”

As this is also the base of the Daly River volunteer State Emergency Service, there are similar problems that have to be dealt with from here. Recently a tradesman enroute to a very remote property over a hundred kilometres towards the ocean from here, had become stuck in a stream crossing and after he located his “combination phone” that had sailed off the dashboard during his slipping off the crossing, he established contact. The combination phones work as CDMA mobiles, but when there is no signal automatically become satellite phones. A couple of years ago people purchased them with Government subsidy, which I guess will be wasted when CDMA is switched off this year!!!!!! Still only Taxpayers money so why worry!
Anyway this bloke tried to walk on towards the property for five hours, covered about sixteen kms. and when the rescuers arrived in the dark they nearly did not see him, as he was up a tree with a couple of wild boars at the base of the tree.
Not a pleasant experience being on foot and unarmed!