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11th Grader Leads Two-Hour Gurney Rescue in Warrumbungle

5/7/2026

42 4 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

Eleventh-grader Stephanie Blake and her team carried injured hiker Thomas Wendland through Warrumbungle National Park on a makeshift gurney.
They built the gurney from tarp poles and a hammock and rotated the load every sixty seconds for two hours.
Wendland said the rescue meant the world to him and thanked the students.
Organizers Amanda Burney and Marty Burney noted the students had practiced the technique and felt achievement.

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Story summary

Eleventh-grader Stephanie Blake and her team carried injured hiker Thomas Wendland through Warrumbungle National Park on a makeshift gurney.
They built the gurney from tarp poles and a hammock and rotated the load every sixty seconds for two hours.
Wendland said the rescue meant the world to him and thanked the students.
Organizers Amanda Burney and Marty Burney noted the students had practiced the technique and felt achievement.