By Cpl Jonathan Garland and Capt Phil Pyke
TASMANIAN reservist 2Lt Stuart Anstee suffered extensive damage to his neck and back, including a gash to his carotid artery, during the bomb blast at the Sari nightclub in Bali on October 12.

One of a group of four Tasmanian men on a holiday in Bali, he was seated at a table in the club when the explosives detonated, knocking him unconscious.

When he woke, he was trapped under a pole, from which he managed to struggle free and escape the burning building.

He suddenly realised blood was spurting from his neck, so he used his T-shirt to staunch the flow until he received treatment at Denpasar hospital.

2Lt Anstee was evacuated by Hercules to Darwin, where he endured four hours of surgery to remove glass fragments from his neck and back and was treated for burns.

Adjt 12/40RTR Capt Matt Flanagan said the battalion responded immediately on receiving a call from Stuart’s mother, Jan Anstee, on Sunday morning.

Support was offered to the Anstee family through the unit padre and A Coy provided a liaison officer in Launceston.
12/40RTR, in conjunction with DCO, arranged a flight to Darwin for Mrs Anstee, with a DCO member meeting her on arrival.

OPSO 12/40RTR Maj John Malisauskas said the officers and soldiers of the battalion wished him a speedy recovery.

“From our point of view, we certainly wish Stuart well. He is critical to the operation of A Coy,” he said.

2Lt Anstee is the platoon commander of 2 Pl – the only infantry unit on the north west coast of Tasmania.

CA Lt-Gen Peter Leahy sent a personal get-well message to 2Lt Anstee in Darwin, saying he was pleased to see that he and other personnel involved in the bombing were recovering well.

“I am informed you are in good spirits despite the injuries you have sustained,” he said.

“On behalf of the Australian Army I wish you a speedy recovery and a safe return to Tasmania.”

• A sergeant from 1RAR is the other Australian soldier wounded in the terrorist attack. He is now in Townsville in hospital.

Recovering well, says Mum

THE first that Jan Anstee heard about her son Stuart being involved in the Bali bomb blast was when she received a telephone call at 7.30am on October 13.

“A member of the Australian consulate, Debbie, was beside Stuart and told me of his condition,” she said.

Mrs Anstee managed to reach friends holidaying in Bali, who went to find him and rang back that night.

“I actually spoke to him, although he could hardly speak. He said he was being flown out the next morning.”
When Mrs Anstee arrived in Darwin on Tuesday at 2.40pm, Stuart was already in the operating theatre and she didn’t see him until he was back in intensive care at about 8pm.

“He looked shocking – his head was totally bandaged and he had great, big wounds down the side of his neck that were covered but they were draining through a tube.

“They had him on a heart monitor because they were worried about a clot that could develop – he had everything in him he could possibly have, saline solution, tubes and monitors everywhere.”

“He’ll need another operation down the track to remove shrapnel still in his throat and he’ll need skin grafts on his head.

“But he’s recovering very well - he’s very strong.”
– Cpl Jonathan Garland

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