| George Fitzsimmons |
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The passing of George Fitzsimmons. Those who knew George Fitzsimmons were shocked by his death in the tragic fire at Mt Kuring-gai on Thursday 8th June 2000. He was one of three NPWS field officers killed during a back-burning operation designed to protect private homes from bushfires next summer. George, a Field Officer with the National Parks and Wildlife Service, had been a member of Orrca since 1992. He was a man of diverse talents, and throughout the years he worked selflessly for the organization, offering us all his skills and expertise, and above all complete dedication to the conservation of marine mammals. He was always willing to discuss ideas about marine mammal rescue operations, and to provide us with encouragement to reach new goals. One of George's roles in Orrca was directing the Rapid Response Team, which is responsible for rescuing marine mammals entangled in nets and ropes. This is a team of Orrca and NPWS officers who, since 1994, have shared their knowledge and expertise in the classroom and at regular practice days on the Hawkesbury River, disentangling our famous black whale called 'Millie' - a whale that George himself had helped design and build. Shortly after the team was formed, we had our first challenge: to rescue a seal entangled with ropes and buoys off Sydney Heads. The next challenge was in 1998 with a humpback trailing a huge load of shark netting off Collaroy. The team worked in difficult sea conditions and it was late in the afternoon before the whale was finally freed of its burden and headed south. More recently, the day after George died, NPWS at Port Macquarie successfully disentangled another humpback. Everyone involved in that rescue knew that, in no small way, they owed their success to George's dedication to assembling and maintaining the 'right tools for the job', to hammering home the rescue techniques, and to giving paramount attention to the safety of the team. Reflecting on the times I've spent with George, the words which apply to each and every meeting were that those times were never dull. Some of them are fond memories, some are quiet, some are boisterous, some irreverent. He was always issuing a challenge sometimes physically, sometimes spiritually. To George life wasn't meant to be easy but it darned well was meant to be fun. George was a true conservationist. He had a deep regard for nature and wildlife. Whether on land or out on the ocean, George could 'smell' an approaching change in conditions long before we were aware of it. All of us who worked alongside him at rescues can recall how much we benefited from his advance warning that the wind was about to change, or that we should head back to shore before the rising swell made life difficult in the zodiac, or that we should shut up and stand still because there was a goanna up ahead. Eric Furlan and Claire Deane died alongside George. We are still waiting for positive news of Jamie Shaw, Luke McSweeney, Mark Cupit and Natalie Saville all of whom remain unconscious in hospital. Jamie and Luke trained with us in marine mammal rescue. Our thoughts are with these survivors, their families, friends and colleagues during this grim time. Samantha Fulton 10th June 2000 On 4th August 2000 Mark Cupit also lost his battle to survive. |
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| Last Updated ( Monday, 06 November 2006 ) |