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AUSTRALIA / NEW ZEALAND VENUES


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  • RTR Australia (Senior Instructor, Len Batley's mob) has offered varied wilderness-related programs with Reed Thorne in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales above Sydney where during Hawaiian Shirt Day (seventh day) the group performs an awesome two rope offset across the high gap to Hanging Rock. 

  • Misty, cloudy day for setting up the two rope offset traverse across to Hanging Rock. The photo taken with an iPhone 4s pretty much takes the vastness of this gap into account

  • Len Batley has been running RTR programs in Australia since 2000 after making his first trip to the USA under a Churchill Fellowship. He attended a Team Skills Rescue Workshop with RTR in 1999 under that fellowship. Ever since then, Reed has been joining Len in Australia every year and running multiple courses down under. 

  • Melbourne Fire Brigade's, Bill Rouse, in his Hawaiian Shirt of course, makes the 100 meter journey to Hanging Rock in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales in Australia. RTR Australia (Senior Instructor, Len Batley's mob) has offered varied wilderness-related programs with Reed Thorne in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales above Sydney

  • A tremendously long tracking line offset down off of the Auckland Sky Tower on the north island of New Zealand in 2006. The Sky Tower is the tallest building in the southern hemisphere.

  • Photo of a Kootenay Highline of 100 meters over Coles Bay in Tasmanian Fire Service rope instructor program in 2014 with Len Batley, RTR Australia. Photo courtesy of Warren Frey Photography. Warren is a firey in Tasmania with the Fire Service.

  • Aussie students working with quad guyed Arizona Vortex gin pole at Callide A Generating Plant in Biloela, Queensland AU. These programs in conjunction with Rob Stringer and HIGHPOINT ACCESS AND RESCUE, Rockhampton, QL

  • A Kootenay Highline at Mt. Arapiles, Victoria, Australia during ASRW (Advanced Skills Rescue Workshop) in 2007.

  • Mitre Rock at Mt. Arapiles is the perfect backdrop for practicing offsets and highlines. Here Aussie and Kiwi students perform a two rope offset from an Arizona Vortex

  • Aussie students working a tracking line offset through a twin guyed Arizona Vortex A frame at Callide A Generating Plant in Biloela, Queensland AU. These programs in conjunction with Rob Stringer and HIGHPOINT ACCESS AND RESCUE, Rockhampton, QL

  • Photo of massive deflection line offset over Coles Bay in Tasmanian Fire Service rope instructor program in 2014 with Len Batley, RTR Australia. Photo courtesy of Warren Frey Photography. Warren is a firey in Tasmania with the Fire Service.

  • Photo of massive deflections line offset over Coles Bay in Tasmanian Fire Service rope instructor program in 2014 with Len Batley, RTR Australia. Photo courtesy of Warren Frey Photography. Warren is a firey in Tasmania with the Fire Service.

  • Photo of massive deflection line offset over Coles Bay in Tasmanian Fire Service rope instructor program in 2014 with Len Batley, RTR Australia. Photo courtesy of Warren Frey Photography. Warren is a firey in Tasmania with the Fire Service.

  • Simon "Pilky" Pilkington of the Tasmanian Fire Service practices a pick off at Coles Bay above the turbulent ocean. Once again, Hawaiian Shirt Day (final day) of this program in Australia. Photo courtesy of Warren Frey Photography

  • Redwood (Whakarewarewa Forest) Forest Steep Angle exercise - Rotorua, NZ where the New Zealand Fire Service rope rescue instructors pracitce a two-tensioned rope steep angle exercise off of a focused floating anchor

  • Redwood (Whakarewarewa Forest) Forest Steep Angle exercise - Rotorua, NZ where the New Zealand Fire Service rope rescue instructors pracitce a two-tensioned rope steep angle exercise off of a focused floating anchor. A very tall Arizona Vortex tripod was used to elevate the two-tensioned rope system about the edge and hand rail

  • Rob McDowall "Macadoo" (left) of New Zealand Fire Servie organised the training with RTR in February of 2014

  • Very cool focused floating anchor system built by the New Zealan Fire Service instructors during training at the Redwood Forest (Whakarewarewa Forest)

  • The New Zealand Fire Service National Training Centre, Rotorua, North Island New Zealand made the perfect training venue for the instructors.

    The following several photos are taken at this remarkable training facility.

  • Instructors for the New Zealand Fire Service all practice on the outside classroom coat rack for the many vaired uses of the AZTEK kit recently purchased from CMC Rescue in California

  • A very provocative gine pole using the Arizona Vortex at the training center

  • A balcony A frame using multiple AZTEKs for guying. A deflection line offset is prepared for this exercise at the NZFS Training Center in Rotorua, North Island

  • A short little Arizona Vortex gin pole on a hand rail at the Training Center

  • A balcony A frame using multiple AZTEKs for guying

  • A two rope offset for picking up a far side patient at the NZFS Training Center

  • Gin pole used for a high directional in a ladder well pick then skate to ground

  • I very clean SA frame using the Arizona Vortex at the NZFS Training Center

  • More rigging and a nicely done gin pole for a Kootenay Highline English Reeve over the scenic and breathtaking Aratiatia Rapids on the North Island of New Zealand. These rapids are caused by timed dam releases at certain times of the day. They were used during the Lord of the Rings "barrel scene" in The Hobbit.

  • More rigging and a nicely done gin pole for a Kootenay Highline English Reeve over the scenic and breathtaking Aratiatia Rapids on the North Island of New Zealand. These rapids are caused by timed dam releases at certain times of the day. They were used during the Lord of the Rings "barrel scene" in The Hobbit.

  • The Tasmanian Fire Service in Hobart, Tasmania was the host for a STRW (Structural Tower Rescue Workshop) taught by Len Batley and Reed Thorne in March of 2014. Here students play on unenergized power transmission lines which is rare since many utilities in the States do not think firemen will be doing power line rescue. 

    The following several photos are of this training at the Hobart training yard for linemen.

  • Student rappelling (called "abseiling" in Australia and New Zealand) off the upper arm of a high tension line

  • More rescues off the conductor of a large power transmission tower in Hobart

  • A skate block down off the tower

  • A veritable playgournd for the students of this STRW (Structural Tower Rescue Workshop) in Hobart hosted by the Tasmanian Fire Service

  • Students get a plan for a difficutl rescue off of a communicatikon tower above the city of Hobart during this STRW (Structural Tower Rescue Workshop) in 2014 with Reed Thorne and Len Batley

  • The TV broadcast tower above the city of Hobart which was used for a sophisticated rescue employing the establishment of an Arizona Vortex A frame high on the tower (see this and next photo close up)

  • A close up of the Arizona Vortex A frame in use on a TV broadcast tower above the city of Hobart for the STRW (Structural Tower Rescue Workshop) with the Tasmanian Fire Service in 2014 with Len Batley and Reed Thorne instructing

  • Ropes That Rescue "Adopt-A-Highway" on Hwy 89A

    RTR has been 'sponsoring' (Adopt-A-Highway) a two mile section of Arizona scenic highway 89-A in Oak Creek Canyon since 1993. This beautiful scenic section is just above Midgley Bridge and includes a spectacular vista of the red rock Mitten Ridge and famous Teapot Rock (just behind the right sign post). 

  • This John William Waterhouse painting illustrates Alfred Tennyson's poem The Lady of Shalott. Draped over the boat is the fabric the lady wove in a tower near Camelot. But she brought a curse on herself by looking directly at Sir Lancelot. With her right hand she lets go of the chain mooring the boat. Her mouth is slightly open, as she sings 'her last song'. She stares at a crucifix lying in front of her. Beside it are three candles, often used to symbolize life. Two have blown out. This suggests her life will end soon, as she floats down the river.

    From Reed Thorne: The classic Brittish Pre-Raphaelite style John William Waterhouse painting of The Lady of Shalott from the Tenneyson Poem. The painting is my favorite classical piece found in the Tate Museum in London. I stood in awe of it when I visited the Tate in 1974.