Full Breakdown
PLC Students Rescue Hiker in Warrumbungle National Park
5/7/2026, 12:40:48 AM
Student Rescue in Warrumbungle National Park
On day three of a four-day Duke of Edinburgh Award hike in Warrumbungle National Park, students from Armidale’s Presbyterian Ladies’ College (PLC) found Thomas Wendland, an experienced hiker with a broken leg. Using tarp poles and a hammock, they built a makeshift gurney, lifted it in coordinated 60-second intervals, and carried him for about two hours until National Parks and Wildlife Service personnel could evacuate him.
Background: Duke of Edinburgh Training
The Duke of Edinburgh Award is a non-formal program promoting recreation, outdoor skills, service and adventure. PLC embeds the award in its curriculum, requiring students to practice tasks such as improvised stretcher construction. Outdoor educators Amanda and Marty Burney said the scenario had been rehearsed during a previous bronze-level hike.
Key Participants
Key participants were Year 11 student Stephanie Blake, who coordinated the lift routine; teachers Amanda and Marty Burney, who led the training; and hiker Thomas Wendland, the injured party.
Rescue Timeline
- Day 1-2: PLC students start four-day trek.
- Day 3 (early afternoon): Find Wendland with broken leg.
- Immediate: Assemble makeshift stretcher; lift in 60-second intervals, rest 15 seconds.
- Two-hour carry: 2.1 mi (3.5 km) to a spot reachable by National Parks and Wildlife Service.
Rescue Data
The students carried Wendland 2.1 mi (? 3.5 km) over roughly two hours, using a 60-second lift/15-second rest cycle.
Official Responses
Amanda Burney said the Duke of Edinburgh training “was crucial” to the rescue. Marty Burney noted the girls’ excitement, recalling comments such as “wow, we’ve trained for this”. Stephanie Blake described a “good sense of achievement” after applying the technique. Thomas Wendland expressed gratitude, saying the assistance “means the world” and that he felt “quite useless while they got it all set up”.
Verbatim Quotes
- “The path just seemed to keep getting longer and longer,” — Stephanie Blake, Year 11 student, PLC
- “I felt quite useless while they got it all set up” — Thomas Wendland, injured hiker
- “We had practised this exact scenario a couple of years ago with this group of students when they were doing their bronze Duke of Edinburgh hike," Ms Burney said.” — Amanda Burney, PLC outdoor educator
- “When I called out to the girls and asked them to wait and told them our plan was to help this gentleman, they were so excited, there were lots of comments like 'wow, we've trained for this'.” — Marty Burney, PLC outdoor educator
Significance
The rescue shows how youth programs can turn classroom skills into real-world emergency response, underscoring the value of experiential learning for community safety and demonstrating that trained student groups can act effectively in remote settings.
What's Next
PLC will use the rescue as a case study in future Duke of Edinburgh workshops on improvisational first-aid and teamwork.
