Safe and sound: Owen Shay hand Randy to Josh King after rescuing the dog from the mineshaft.
Kirk and Randy moments after the rescue.
Time for a belly scratch
The word went out about 2.50pm on Wednesday that another dog had fallen down a mineshaft on ANZAC Hill in Maldon.
When the TT arrived on the scene, Maldon CFA 1st Lieutenant Bruce Clements said it had happened to another dog late last year.
“Same shaft, different dog,” he said.
Last October, Maldon resident Marie Bell’s Border Collie, Tess, disappeared down the same mineshaft and Tess was there for a couple of days before being rescued. Thankfully, Tess was ok.
So last Wednesday it was second time round for many of the volunteers from the Maldon Fire Brigade and the Bendigo-based volunteer group, Oscar 1 Mine Rescue team, to fetch a stranded pooch out of the mineshaft.
This time it was Randy, a 35kg Rottweiler-Boxer cross. He is a six-year-old rescue dog owned by Kirk Wojniusz and his partner Tash Collins, who recently moved to Maldon.
“I usually just walk him around town but I decided to bring him up here today and he just suddenly disappeared,” Kirk said.
He said he was confident the rescue team would be able to get Randy out.
“If they don’t, I will. Hopefully, he hasn’t hurt himself; we’ll be straight off to the vet after this if we can get him out of there.”
“I’m a little bit worried but I can see him and he seems to be ok.”
The Oscar 1 team arrives and goes to great lengths to ensure it is safe for one of their volunteers to go down into the mine.
About two hours later 3rd Lieutenant Owen Shay emerges from the mineshaft holding Randy and he hands him to Mine Rescue Operator Josh King.
Tash is in tears and Kirk can’t stop smiling.
Randy is quickly reunited with his owners and he is one happy dog.
“I’m just so happy he’s ok,” says Tash. “I was so worried.”
And Kirk, how do you feel?
“Relieved!” he says with one of the biggest smiles you ever did see.
Lots of cuddles, kisses and a few belly scratches later and Randy is off to the vet to make sure he is ok.
The Oscar 1 team pack up and Captain David Priest tells the local media it’s a great result.
“I would trust these boys and girls with my life.”
After seeing that rescue, so would I.
Jeff Jones
