Lives touched by Bali blasts
These are some of the experiences and accounts of Air Force members who treated and comforted the wounded and the traumatised in the aftermath of the Bali terrorist attacks.

THE DOCTOR

Squadron Leader Steven Cook, left, during Operation Bali Assist.

By LACW Simone Liebelt

"As bad as the experience is and as traumatic as the experience was, I feel very thankful that I had the opportunity to help and was proud of the ADF’s response to this tragedy."

AS the aeromedical evacuation doctor on call that fateful Sunday morning, Squadron Leader Steve Cook couldn’t have imagined the emotional shock of what he would be confronted with in Bali.

Believing that five people had been injured in a gas cylinder explosion, the senior medical officer and his team from No. 3 Combat Support Hospital prepared for a disaster, unaware that it would be one beyond their comprehension.

SQNLDR Cook, who has previously served nine months in East Timor retrieving patients by helicopter and fixed-wing aircraft, said while his medical team had the skills and experience to deal with the number and severity of casualties, nothing could have prepared them for the horror and tragedy in the aftermath of the Bali bombings.

“Emotionally it was very upsetting. Kids were out having a good time, and to get blown up in such a horrendous act of terrorism with such extensive injuries was just terrible,” he said.

While communication was a problem – as with any disaster – SQNLDR Cook said he was very proud of the resourcefulness and professionalism of the medical staff and the assistance of numerous volunteers.

“I’d really like to say how impressed I was with the Australian medical team. There was a young girl who died on the tarmac and it was a really upsetting, traumatic event, but the medical staff did their absolute best to save this girl over a period of time, and once she passed on they quickly moved on to render care to everyone else. I was immensely proud that they could stay composed and professional and continue to help other people.”

While SQNLDR Cook could never forget the patients he treated, there was one particular girl he recalls fondly. With the help of Major David Read, an Army Reservist Surgeon from Darwin, he assessed the girl as needing immediate surgery on her limb to save it from amputation.

“We discussed with her that she needed an operation and that it was going to be on the tarmac of an airfield in a military medical procedure, and I’ll never forget how impressed I was by how brave she was,” he said. “She accepted the decision, and she made the joke, ‘I really should have gone for a holiday in Tasmania’. It was an example of the bravery of these young men and women and I feel very privileged to have been able to assist in their evacuation.

“I’m also very proud of the way they have responded to the disaster and how they’ve got on with their lives. As bad as the experience is and as traumatic as the experience was, I feel very thankful that I had the opportunity to help and was proud of the ADF’s response to this tragedy.”

THE LOADIE

Flight Sergeant Peter Kennedy used humour to relate to the injured. Photo by LACW Simone Liebelt

By LACW Simone Liebelt

FLIGHT Sergeant Peter Kennedy may be a proud rugby league supporter, but he soon became a fan of AFL after meeting injured Kangaroos player Jason McCartney on Operation Bali Assist.

As loadmaster on the second evacuation flight out of Denpassar, FSGT Kennedy struck a friendship with the popular senior footballer from Melbourne, who, despite his terrible injuries, could still have a joke with the crew.

“He really stuck in my mind. I related to him because he looked like a footballer so we had a bit of a yarn, but I had no idea who he was,” FSGT Kennedy said. “We had a joke with him about how big and heavy he was and that we were probably going to drop him, and he came back with a crack along the lines of, ‘That’d be my luck, I’ve been in a bomb blast and you blokes are going to drop me.’”

Amid the chaos of Denpassar airport - which had been transformed into a field hospital - FSGT Kennedy and his crew tried to help take people’s minds off their situation with a bit of Aussie humour and some reassurance that they were soon going home.

“I think you had to remove yourself from everyday life, as chaotic and unpleasant as the sights we are seeing, the old black humour comes out and you just try and relate to people. I mean, these people were scared, they were confused, and obviously they were in a lot of pain, so you had to try and take their mind of it.

“It wasn’t a pleasant experience, but to see these people getting on with their lives now makes me very proud. It’s pretty amazing stuff for them to get on with their lives after something so traumatic. I put them up there in the old heroes status.”

THE MEDIC

Leading Aircraftwoman Christina Matthewson packs an AME medical kit, similar to those used during Operation Bali Assist. Photo by LACW Simone Liebelt

By LACW Simone Liebelt

HAVING just completed the aeromedical evacuation (AME) course only days before the Bali bombings, Leading Aircraftwoman Christina Matthewson never expected to be applying her new skills in one of the biggest AMEs ever conducted by the Air Force.

“I was very nervous,” she recalled. “I didn’t really know what to expect. I never thought we’d have a major casualty situation, so to be pushed straight into it, I learnt very quickly. There were a lot of things I never expected to see.”
Tasked with the important job of managing medical equipment, restocking pharmaceutical supplies and coordinating ambulances for patient transfers in Darwin, LACW Matthewson helped unload injured victims from the Bali flights, providing comfort and support while recording their names and details.

“You couldn’t show any emotion to let them know that it was affecting you so you just smiled and said ‘you’re safe now’ and they thanked you. I was shocked that no one was screaming, they all seemed so calm and just glad to be home and safe.”

On the humanitarian trip into Bali several days after the blast, LACW Matthewson formed a special connection with an injured Balinese patient she treated on the flight. While checking her pulse, the friendly woman grabbed hold of her hand and wouldn’t let go. “I spent the whole trip just holding her hand and wetting her face. She was such a brave woman and kept smiling but I knew she was scared,” LACW Matthewson said. “After we took her to Perth I found out she was recovering well and that was a really big deal to me, I needed to have closure.”

Returning home, the young medical assistant was suddenly struck with the reality of what she had just experienced. Unable to watch news reports on the disaster, she collected newspaper clippings, but couldn’t look at them for several months.

“It was a horrible thing to happen but I feel proud that I was part of the team that was able to help save so many lives. The experience made me realise how lucky we have it here and how amazing the Australian spirit is and I now get a real sense of pride in seeing how people have coped and healed after the event.”

THE TECHO

Corporal James Coolahan works on an aircraft, but during the Bali emergency these same hands operated a pump in an effort to keep a bombing victim alive. Photo by LACW Simone Liebelt

By LACW Simone Liebelt

HE refers to himself as “just a techo” but Corporal James Coolahan’s experience in Bali had nothing to do with mechanics.

Arriving on the first C-130 flight into Denpassar, CPL Coolahan had no idea of the terrible scenes he would witness or the helplessness he would feel when the magnitude of the tragedy was revealed a short time later.

After the first few critical patients arrived from Sanglah hospital, he was quickly called on to assist the busy medical team. Being an aircraft technician, he assumed he couldn’t help, but within minutes was assisting in the resuscitation of a badly burnt man who had stopped breathing on the tarmac. With the help of medical and other aircrew members, he hand-pumped a bag over the blast victim’s mouth for nearly two hours to keep him breathing.

“Within two minutes I went from doing nothing to suddenly breathing for this fella,” he said. “I found out later that his name was Gary Nash and he was from Perth.”

As more victims - all with horrific injuries - began arriving in ambulances, CPL Coolahan helped out where he could, but soon felt out of his depth.

“You’d be resuscitating this person, or watching his blood pressure and then some stranger would come up to you and say stuff you couldn’t understand, sometimes in a different language, and I’d be like, “I’m a techo not a medic, what did you say?’

“My mum was a nurse and that’s about as far as my medical knowledge goes. I remember thinking, ‘what has happened here? ... what am I doing here?’”

On the flight to Darwin, one of the two critical patients did not survive the trip, despite tireless efforts by the medical and aircraft crews to keep him alive through continuous resuscitation. While everyone on board was traumatised by the loss, CPL Coolahan said it was at least a relief that the unknown Aussie had died in his own country.

The impact of learning another patient from his flight, assumed to be Gary Nash, the man he had assisted in resuscitating, had also died only hours after landing was compounded with the news of his grandmother’s death on arrival back to Richmond. The grief was overwhelming.

When No. 37 Squadron received a card and note from the Nash family a few weeks later, CPL Coolahan tracked them down in Perth to discover Gary had actually survived and was slowly recovering from his injuries.

“I felt pretty worthless until we found out Gary was alive,” he said. “To find out he was getting on with life was great news and knowing that helped me pull through afterwards.”

THE CHAPLAIN

Squadron Leader Ian Whitley at a memorial service in Canberra last year.

By SQNLDR Ian Whitley

WHAT was conceived as a 24-hour stay in Bali evolved into almost one week of intense activity in a mix of physical, mental and spiritual ministry, in which it was difficult to define the boundaries.

Arriving at Denpassar airport, we found rows of patients and frantic activity by a team of doctors, nurses and medics, and my first function was to pray over the body of a woman who had passed away just before we arrived. Many of my initial duties included holding drips and loading stretchers on to the aircraft as prioritised by the doctors, accompanied by words of encouragement to the injured.

I helped friends and family members come to terms with their grief at the consulate and the morgue, and organised a memorial service to be held in Bali to commemorate those who had lost their lives in the tragedy.

The extent of the burns and other injuries was horrific, yet even some of those worst affected did not complain, prepared to give up their spot on the flight if there were others in greater need. I saw people give selflessly to others they had never met before.

What I saw and experienced left a deep impact on me and I have again come to terms with death and thus can appreciate life with new enthusiasm.

A terrorist bomb destroyed so many young lives but could not kill so many other stories of hope in the face of hopelessness, of courage overcoming fear and ordinary people giving sacrificially to help people they didn’t even know.

What I experienced in Bali was God at work, in spite of man’s inhumanity to man.

THE NAV

The experience has made Flight Lieutenant Sasha Miokovic value life. Photo by LACW Simone Liebelt

By LACW Simone Liebelt

FLIGHT Lieutenant Sasha Miokovic couldn't help but picture himself in the shoes of one of the Bali victims after seeing so many badly injured young people on the tarmac of Denpassar airport.

The C-130 navigator said it was hard to try and block out the emotion of the unexpected scenes of bodies on stretchers and loved ones crying, especially when most of the victims were around his age.

"It could have so easily been me in Bali with some of the guys having a good time and the next thing you know, it's happened," he said.

"It was really up close and personal but you had to put it aside so you could get the people out of there and get them home as soon as possible.

"We knew that people were injured and were starting to arrive from the hospitals ... it was just really graphic and horrible."

Pitching in with his crew to help stabilise patients prior to flight, FLTLT Miokovic said it was difficult to know what to say to people with such horrific injuries.

"How do you say to someone 'you're going to be okay' when you can see how much pain they're in and know that they're probably not going to be okay."

Shocked and outraged by the terrorist attack, FLTLT Miokovic said being caught up in the aftermath was an experience he would never forget.

"You think you're quite removed from it until you're there and all you can think of is 'how is this happening?' It certainly makes you value life and how important things are. The first thing I did when I got back was give mum and dad a call."

THE PILOT

Flight Lieutenant Sam Webster is pleased that the Air Force was able to help the blast victims. Photo by LACW Simone Liebelt

By LACW Simone Liebelt

AFTER being tasked with a short-notice flight to Bali, Flight Lieutenant Sam Webster was looking forward to visiting the popular island for the first time, until she turned on her radio on the way to work.

Still unaware of the extent of the disaster, it wasn’t until the C-130H aircraft landed at Denpassar airport that the junior co-pilot realised its magnitude.

Describing the scene on their arrival as horrendous, FLTLT Webster spoke of how her close involvement with the blast victims gave her a whole new respect for medical staff and the job they do.

“It was amazing, because you train for warlike operations, and this wasn’t a war, but the injuries were just horrific. I faint at the sight of blood. I don’t know how the medical staff do it.”

Helping to make the patients as comfortable as possible in the aircraft, FLTLT Webster put earplugs in their ears to dull out the noise of the engines.

“People were saying ‘we can’t hear you anyway mate because of the blast so don’t worry about it,’” she recalled. “It was something you didn’t even think of.”

While she remembers most of the patients on board, a young German woman named Ingrid was who she will remember most. With facial injuries so severe that she was unrecognisable, FLTLT Webster had no idea that she would see the young tourist’s face again in what she refers to as a “weird twist of fate”.

Returning home after the mission, she discovered a German passport in her backpack and realised she had picked up the wrong bag amid the confusion. After tracing Ingrid to a Sydney hospital, she paid the recovering patient a visit.

“I went and saw her in uniform because I thought that way it would hopefully not confuse her or add stress, but she remembered me and was happy to see me,” FLTLT Webster smiled.

“There was an obvious language barrier, but to see her with a face and know that she was getting better was just the best.

“Bali was the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done. To actually be in that position to help people and do a really fundamentally essential job was just amazing.”

FACT FILE

• During Operation Bali Assist, the ADF activated Permanent Air Force and Specialist Reservists from across the country and configured C-130 aircraft for aeromedical evacuations.
• Aircraft were able to depart RAAF Base Richmond in under six hours, more than half the normal 12 hours required to deploy medivac aircraft.
• Five Hercs (three C-130Js and two C-130Hs) were used and 66 people were evacuated, including Balinese and other foreign nationals.

THEIR STORIES

FLTLT Lisbeth Swinden-McConvill Nursing Officer 3CSH

FLTLT Lisbeth Swinden-McConvill
Nursing Officer 3CSH

WHEN we met the patients they had been waiting for almost 24 hours so they were in shock. It was the strangest sense, there was just quiet, no hysteria, no noise, no crying out. People were whispering and they had this very, very stoic look on their faces.

There was one particular guy who just kept saying “look after the others” and he was very sick and deteriorated before our eyes. They were all very selfless.

To be put into that situation so crudely was amazing. I will never, ever forget the overpowering smell of burnt flesh, and the feeling of not knowing how many people there were or how we were going to help them all.

The first thing I did when I got home was give my kids a big hug.

LACW Fiona Scholes Medical Assistant 3CSH

LACW Fiona Scholes
Medical Assistant 3CSH

I LEARNED a lot there, both medically and personally. It was a very unique experience. The state of the patients varied, some were very happy to be going home and others were very much in denial that such a thing could happen to them. The average burns were around 60 per cent so I hadn’t seen anything of that category before. It was really quite an amazing experience, and almost a surreal one to be a part of.

CPL Emma Thompson Medical Assistant 3CSH

CPL Emma Thompson
Medical Assistant 3CSH

WE still didn’t know, even though we were the last aircraft in, what to expect when we got there; you just didn’t realise the enormity of it all. I was a civvy nurse before, so I’ve seen a lot of injuries, but it was more the look on their faces that will always stay in my mind. You can’t even explain it.

I’ve been deployed and I’ve been on mass AMEs before and I’ve been exposed to a lot of those injuries, but it was very, very sad. I still don’t watch it on the news or read stories about it.

LAC Edward Goldner Medical Assistant 3CSH

LAC Edward Goldner
Medical Assistant 3CSH

AS you got off the aircraft, it was kind of like a daze, you only really thought about it once it was over. I was focused on doing my job but it was still sad to realise what humans are capable of doing. Lives were ruined; 18-year-olds with their lives ahead of them now had third degree burns.

It was a big learning curve and it was great the way all the medical staff gelled, because there were Reservists and people from Amberley and Adelaide, and we just gelled like we knew each other, like we knew exactly what the other person was doing.

I was on a natural high once I got back. It was a really great achievement to be able to help all those people.

SGT David Blanch Aircraft technician 37SQN

SGT David Blanch
Aircraft technician 37SQN

IT was terrible seeing the injured, and really, there was very little I could do to help them with the obvious pain they were going through. We helped load the patients on to the aircraft and tried to make them more comfortable and talked with them to try and help them relax.

There was one guy I remember who said, “look after the others”. It’s good to see him on TV now and how different he is.

It was a mind-numbing experience and took a long time to get over. I will never forget the horrid smell of that time. Nothing really fazes me anymore, things just happen.

FSGT Peter McIntosh Loadmaster 37SQN

FSGT Peter McIntosh
Loadmaster 37SQN

THERE was a lot of chaos at the airport when we arrived. There were ambulances going to and fro ... we had military and police coming out to the aircraft to apologise to us straight up front, it was just bedlam.

The first guy on the aircraft who was critical had died on the tarmac earlier and they resuscitated him and brought him onto the aircraft away from other patients. I couldn’t recognise him, but he looked like a footballer because he was a big guy and his hands and feet looked reasonably young. He died about 10 minutes prior to descent into Darwin, and that affected the whole crew.

I’ve seen a lot of stuff from Somalia through to Cambodia but find now that there’s a lot more support out there after the event. When we got back into Darwin we had two counsellors that took us away from the aircraft straight away and counselled us, which was really, really good.

FLTLT Mike Werchon Pilot 37SQN

FLTLT Mike Werchon
Pilot 37SQN

IT’S the first time we’d actually been involved with injured people, because the number of people available to help on the ground was pretty thin. We helped with carrying them on, pumping bags assisting them to breathe and talking to them while they were in pain.

The one thing I particularly remember was that they were in really good spirits, considering the circumstances, so we could joke with them and they responded to that. They would start with the typical Aussie humour and we would just react to them and keep it going to try and help out.

There was one guy named Gary, a big solid guy, who stood out because he was making a joke of his own circumstances – he was peppered with shrapnel – and he was just happy to be going home. I remember it because his family actually sent us a thank you card and note. It’s pretty amazing that they could think of something like that when we were just doing our job to try and help out.







LAC Michael Williams
Air Load Team 1ATS

EVERYONE was in overdrive. Our pride and professionalism really did shine in a time of disaster.

In the end, the training combined with the diversity of the group of men and women moulded into one large streamlined team. It was as if everyone knew what to do, no one was left standing about, no matter what your background, you helped where you could. Even just trying to comfort injured lying before me, I felt like I was doing something good.

We carried stretchers for what seemed an eternity, and I was impressed by the people I was working with and even more impressed by the patients who showed so much strength and dignity. I thought everyone would be screaming, but I was surprised by the mood of many, bodies broken and beyond recognition.


CPL Tony Furness
Air Load Team 1ATS

WHAT I remember most of that night is the fantastic work of the Medics. There was a makeshift hospital under the airport fire station and it was like watching an episode of MASH, but with no tents or a sterile place to work.

I prepared passenger manifests with the help of a lady from a civilian aid program and also assisted by holding drips, covering people with thermal blankets and holding torches so the doctor could see while doing minor operations, and just talking to people who were injured and there by themselves.

When more medical supplies arrived, LAC Williams and I unloaded the aircraft, re- rigged it for the return journey and carried litter patients to the aircraft.

The burnt bodies weren’t pretty and I felt sorry for those people injured and killed in this horrendous act of terrorism.

Medical teams treat the injured.

CAF’S MESSAGE

WITH the first anniversary of the bombings in Bali almost on us, it is timely to reflect on how the Air Force responded to that crisis, and to remember those who lost their lives.

The Government, the Australian people and CDF were thankful for the speed with which you responded to the emergency and the professional and compassionate manner in which you went about dealing with the catastrophe. I was particularly impressed with the way you calmly and confidently put your training to the test and achieved great results. There is no doubt your efforts helped save lives.

I would like to again thank all those involved in Operation Bali Assist – our medical teams, air terminal squadron staff, loadmasters, aircrew, logistics staff, squadron support staff, duty personnel, combat support teams, headquarters staff at all levels, and of course, the families, who rarely complain when their loved ones are called in to work at short notice.

Since October 2002 we have had little reprieve – Operation Slipper remained ongoing and in the new year we reached an operational tempo not experienced in many decades. Operations Bastille, Falconer and now Catalyst have seen our people working tirelessly in the Middle East, being tested personally and professionally and not found wanting.

Closer to home we still have people in East Timor doing a great job in assisting the UN help the East Timorese move towards becoming a fully functioning democratic nation. And now, Op Anode sees our people in the Solomon Islands with the Regional Assistance Mission. While there we are working closely with the Australian Federal Police, the Australian Protective Service, other military personnel from Australia, Fiji, Tonga, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea to provide security for police assisting the Solomon Islands Government to restore law and order.

The past 12 months have been challenging, demanding, exhausting and professionally fulfilling. I thank you all for your dedication, motivation and unfailing support. I am heartened by the quality of our people and I feel confident of meeting any future challenges.

Air Marshal Angus Houston
Chief of Air Force

Wing Commanders Penny Pennell and Stephen Aspinall discuss Operation Bali Assist. Photo by LACW Simone Liebelt

Planning OP Bali Assist

By LACW Simone Liebelt

AS Australia awoke to the shocking news of the Bali bombings, personnel at Headquarters Air Command were well on their way to organising the Air Force’s response to the disaster.

As Staff Officer Operations, Wing Commander Stephen Aspinall was one of the first Air Force members called into work that Sunday morning, arriving at RAAF Base Glenbrook just before 5am. Despite information being sketchy at best, WGCDR Aspinall began the challenging task of planning the air-bridge that would support the emergency evacuation.

WGCDR Penny Pennell, of the Health Plans and Operations cell, was called in shortly afterwards to coordinate the aeromedical evacuation (AME) teams and specialist medical personnel and equipment that would be required to deploy with the aircraft.

With a lack of accurate information, the small team of operations and logistics personnel had to plan an immediate response using the resources and personnel available.

To set up an evacuation air-bridge into Darwin, WGCDR Pennell sourced specialist intensive care staff and equipment to assist the AME teams and organised desperately needed medical supplies. At the same time, WGCDR Aspinall coordinated aircraft operations and logistics through No. 86 Wing, the Indonesian authorities and various external agencies.

The effective response that was put into place was a credit to the teamwork from many areas of the ADF.

“It was a matter of assessing the situation, with a lack of accurate information, and getting on with it, and it really showed the professionalism of the people we have in the Air Force,” WGCDR Aspinall said. “It wasn’t just about getting the aircraft to Bali; we knew that the injuries would be quite disastrous and we would have to meet many challenges along the way.”

WGCDR Pennell said the lessons learnt from the planning and execution of Operation Bali Assist will lead to many improvements in the care and safety of patients in flight.

“I don’t know of any evacuation operation we have ever done that has moved that number of severely injured casualties,” she said. “Looking back on the processes and responses from our immediate planning has resulted in some really good developments in AME equipment and procedures.”

Praising all the personnel involved in the operation, WGCDR Aspinall believes the high operational tempo of the past year helped prepare them to respond in a heightened state of readiness.

“The support and the can-do attitude of the people involved made the operation a success. While it was a disaster, we were well trained and focused to do the task, and it was rewarding to be involved and to see how well the system works,” he said.

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