DEFENCE MEDIA RELEASE
Issued by Ministerial Support and Public Affairs, Department of Defence, Canberra, ACT
Phone: 02 6265 3343, Fax: 02 62656946
MSPA 131/09
Monday, 27 April 2009
OIL WORKERS GIVE THEIR ALL
When you live and work on an oil platform in the middle of the Timor Sea dealing
with a civilian mass casualty emergency is an unlikely scenario.
Regardless, it was exactly what the crew of the Floating Production, Storage and
Offload facility Front Puffin faced when HMA Ships Childers and Albany arrived on
the afternoon of April 16th.
Survivors from SIEV 36 were taken aboard HMAS Childers and HMAS Albany then
rushed to the oil platform to be further treated and evacuated to Australian medical
facilities.
Commander Northern Command, Commodore David Gwyther praised the support of
the oil workers “The job done by the crew of the Front Puffin in helping treat the
injured was outstanding”.
“At short notice they prepared a medical staging area that helped treat the casualties
and facilitated their evacuation via the helicopter platform” he said.
“They were part of an outstanding multi-agency, multi jurisdictional evacuation
effort. I was very pleased to be able to meet and thank the Front Puffin team in
Darwin when some of these terrific people came ashore. I hope they all know what an
awesome job they did”, Commodore Gwyther said.
HMAS Childers Medical Officer, Flight Lieutenant Joleen Darby, said the support
and the commitment of the workers on Front Puffin in helping with the injured was
exceptional.
“They gave up their beds and mattresses and just wanted to help with anything,”
Flight Lieutenant Darby said.
“Whatever I asked for would happen,” she said.
“They were holding up IV bags for the injured, giving them comfort and some were
even helping them to pray.”
Commodore Gwyther presented Aibel Operations Manager, Mr Mike Stafford, with
an engraved Northern Command plaque and Northern Command memento coins for
every person on the Front Puffin as a token of appreciation from the ADF and Border
Protection Command.
DEFENCE MEDIA RELEASE
Issued by Ministerial Support and Public Affairs, Department of Defence, Canberra, ACT
Phone: 02 6265 3343, Fax: 02 62656946
Media note: A photo of the presentation is below. Additional imagery of the Front
Puffin’s rescue efforts is available at
Photo 1: L-R: Commander Northern Command, Commodore David Gwyther,
presents a plaque to Aibel Operations Manager, Mr Mike Stafford.
Media contact: LEUT Brooke Olds, NORCOM Military Public Affairs Officer (08)
8935 8474 or 0409 662 802
NEWS 
