Wollangambe Canyon Deaths

menu_book picture_as_pdf book Stephen Lake News Australia New South Wales Blue Mountains NP

Issue_45_Feb_2021-44

On 2 January 2021 in the Wollangambe Canyon in the Blue Mountains National Park there was a tragedy.

In the calm water a siphon opened, sucking in Chinese student and software engineer Jennifer Qi. Senior Constable Kelly Foster of Lithgow Police Station dived in attempting to rescue the student. Very sadly, both died.

Place of the accident

Wollangambe Canyon Deaths

Stephen Lake

44 | BWA February 2021

There were reports by the ABC and the Blue Mountains Gazette. A party member said that the latter is the most accurate.

Sergeant Dallas Atkinson of the Blue Mountains Police Rescue helped recover the bodies. He said, "In the context of Blue Mountains canyons it's an extremely unusual event", one he had not seen in 14 years working in the rescue area. "It could have happened to anybody," he said. "It was an unfortunate tragedy. Despite some rain, the water levels were not unusually high, maybe slightly above normal. It wasn't running dirty and the rest of the canyon was normal." Sergeant Atkinson said it was like pulling an 80 centimetre plug from one end of a 25 metre pool.

He said, "In the very recent past, something's changed in that particular section of the canyon that's caused the bulk of the water volume to go underneath the rocks. As a result other ordinary flow points have stopped flowing. You don't see it virtually ever, but there's always the potential. You put moving water (and moving debris) through a space, it's got to go somewhere."

The NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service immediately closed Wollangambe One Canyon, which is an introductory canyon often visited by children. The canyon is east of Lithgow with many streams in the catchment.

NSW Police Chief Inspector Peter Schienflug said something that resonated with me. He said, "It's true traditions of the NSW Police that it's service above self and it's a common line we're quite often first responders (who) run towards danger as other people run from it." Bushwalkers look after each other, especially when things go bad.

Senior Constable Foster's funeral was on 14 January. NSW Police Commissioner Michael Fuller delivered her valedictory. He said that she served her community and state with “outstanding dedication and devotion to duty” in her career. He posthumously conferred upon her the Commissioner’s Valour Award, the state’s highest bravery award. He said "It is with profound sorrow that I, on behalf of the New South Wales Police Force extend to Kelly’s partner Gavin, her mother and father Marilyn and Terry, sister Leigh and brother David and Kelly’s extended family, our deepest personal sympathy in the tragic unexpected loss of an admired woman and an outstanding police officer."

Wollangambe Canyon

Kelly Foster

BWA February 2021 | 45

Jennifer Qi's funeral was on 30 January, delayed to allow the family to have 14 days of quarantine. This must have been very hard for them, isolated in a foreign country. It's also hard for the people involved, but at least they have support from local family and friends.

A person at Jennifer's funeral said, "Such a beautiful ceremony. It started at 8 am with the Buddhist service, listening to the monks chanting. After the Buddhist service there was another more typical funeral service for friends. I went to both. I'm glad that I got to experience the Buddhist service for her, something I will never forget. Both services really represented who she was. In Buddhism belief Jennifer will be reborn, so it's comforting to think that she has not left us completely. Also, listening to her friends and family’s tributes and hearing stories of her love of adventure, she lived life to the fullest. Now she has been set free from this world, ready for her next life."

An experienced and respected canyoner not on the trip has advised me, "The club involved is also undertaking its own immediate review following the incident … they are not waiting for the formal investigation to look at the incident themselves. If there's improvements to be made, then doing that quickly rather than waiting for a long, formal investigation, is clearly the better outcome."

On the forum, people have been great at avoiding speculation and blame. We don't have all the information and never want to be in a position to cast judgement in such a horrific situation. Respectful, informed discussion while the event is still fresh in the memory is good. Facts rather than speculation are best.

There will be a coronial enquiry. Party members, family, friends and the bushwalking club have requested privacy.

We can and should always reflect on tragedies like this - to learn and become safer at our own pursuits. Tragic events like this make me take pause, thinking about when I got out of sticky situations due to luck more than good planning. It is always a good time to think about what we can do to make our trips safer.

The Wollangambe One Canyon accident area, in the red box

Jennifer Qi

46 | BWA February 2021