13 October 2008

Tardis collides with unicorn on Lake Burley Griffin

| johnboy
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The Canberra Times has the astonishing news that a police boat on Lake Burley Griffin has managed to hit a swimmer who was taken to hospital for treatment.

I realise that with the weather passing fine yesterday there was some chance the policeman’s power-boating club would make an outing. But to find a swimmer, let alone accidentally collide with one?

What are the odds?

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Isn’t it amazing that any thread that mentions Police always mentions doughnuts!

Personally I can’t ever recall seeing a copper eating a doughnut. But I’d be interested to hear a few stories! 😛

Well, since you asked, Spideydog. But I never said the police were attracted by trays of free doughnuts. I’m sure they’re happy to pay for their trays of doughnuts.

I didn’t have anything to add to this thread, until Spideydog’s kind invitation. Where’s all your aggressive mates though? They’ve been amazingly quiet in recent weeks.

I’ll go a free donut if they are on offer. Can I get a half price coffee with that as well.

Hamilton said :

Install a waterside drive through Maccas – Then you’ll see cops a plenty!!…..sorry, had to go there!

Only if they had a tray full of free donuts on offer…..Cmon ant, join in ??

Install a waterside drive through Maccas – Then you’ll see cops a plenty!!…..sorry, had to go there!

la mente torbida3:31 pm 13 Oct 08

I walk my dogs each day (morning and afternoon), which takes in Yarralumla Bay and the water police building.

Over the weekend, I actually saw an ACT police officer for the first time in 2 years, making his way along the jetty towards the police launch. The only thing in the water nearby was a canoeist being followed by his dog (wearing a life jacket)…wish I had my camera with me.

neanderthalsis1:55 pm 13 Oct 08

So, was the swimmer taken to hospital as a result of being hit by the boat or contact with the foul and foetid waters of LBG?

I used to work for the Yacht Club who has a good relationship with the Water Police.

They are more then a 9-5 M-F and have at least 2 people manning the station by the water – although when there is nothing happening I believe they do general duties and are on-call to the waterpol station.

Also in the colder months you wouldn’t want your taxes going to some people sitting around the water police station doing nothing, therefore would be doing other duties also as being on-call. Would you really want your taxes going to 6 water police divers waiting to fish bodies out of the lake (cause it happens all so often) – no you wouldn’t, therefore they are doing other duties as well as awaiting their other special oncall duties to arise.

Plus the water police are not there to chaperone your boat around the lake – your boat – your responsibility. If your life is endangered on the boat then call “000” or 88 on the 27Mhz. (and not saying this is your case AG – as I’m pretty sure it is the operator of the moorings responsibility – if it was over by the Canberra Yacht Club it is their mooring, over by YMCA Yacht Club then it’s their mooring or over at the rowing clubs area then it’s their mooring to be responsible of.)

Back in the days when you could monitor the police radio on a scanner, I recall an inccident when the police were chasing a crim, and wanted the k-9 crew to help out. The response came a few minutes later… Can’t help, the dog squad is on rec leave.

mmmm the Water Police. Don’t get into trouble on our big pond any time out of 9-5 M-F

Yesterday they must have been doing a dignitaries tour to be out on the lake on a sunday.

We once called them at 3 on a Sunday arvo (to come and grab a yacht that had broken from its mooring) and was told we’d have to wait for 2 hours as the bloke with the keys to the boat was “unavailable”….

Yep, I was on the Southern Cross boat on the way to the Governor Generals the other week and there was one in the middle of the water near the Water Police then. Pretty hard to see.

> But to find a swimmer, let alone accidentally collide with one?

People swim in there all the time…I’m in there at least once a week during the warmer months.

Ummm, Was Amber Westin at the Helm?

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