Labertouche Caves.

While the tiny township of Labertouche is well signposted and only a couple of hours drive from Melbourne, the area where the Caves are, is rather remote, and unsigned and down three or four unnamed or rather unsigned roads. If you didn’t know where the Caves were, or didn’t have someone with you who knew the way, you would never find them. Even when you get to the right spot, you wouldn’t know it, as there are no parking areas or signs on the dead end track that passes for a road. Just a faint foot track leading down the bank! Down, near the top Cave entrance, is a sign warning of the danger of getting lost in the cave and advising hiring a guide. Despite this the caves are very popular. According to last weekends Paper, annually, they are the most visited caves in Victoria. The fact that it is still free and unregulated might help there!

Our son and his friends are into 4 X 4 driving, Hiking, Bush walking, Rock climbing, abseiling and also Caving. All in a small way only! Anyway about 18 months ago he came home and said he and a couple of his pals had just gone through Labertouche caves and were thinking of going back again later. I pricked my ears up at this, as I had gone through the caves previously with my brothers, as part of a bigger group, about 30 plus years ago and registered my interest in going again if possible. So did a few others it seems and on Australia Day 2006 a dozen of us went up there in three vehicles.

As there were so many of us, we went in in two separate groups, each led by someone who had been there recently. I was in one group and my son in the other. We abseiled down a few feet, in from the bottom end and worked our way up. As soon as the last of my group was in we went on through, while the other group waited till all there team was down before starting through. We did hear them a couple of times, but otherwise had no contact with them till they were out. We did one time, have to squeeze into holes and cracks, to let another team pass us as they came from the other way, and another team went in just after we came out. We went through with some difficulty, as in many places the way is tight and there were many false or misleading trails, all well worn by now. There were white reflectors at various places to mark the main trail, but they weren’t always obvious.

Anyway my team got through and then waited for the other team. We waited and we waited and close to two hours after we came out, they did too. They didn’t acknowledge that they were lost just that they missed the main trail and went a different way. That team, by the way, had two in it who had been through the cave only a month or two before. My team only had one, plus me who had been through 30 plus years before and from the other end.

This all came back to me over the weekend as three people, 2 who had been there before and familiar with the caves, were lost in the caves and feared injured or badly hurt. They went in for the 2-3 hour journey and were reported missing 7 hours later.

It turns out they were only lost and a Rescue team found them 11 hours after they went in, safe and sound. The sole lady with them reported that they were greatly relieved and cheered up immensely, when around mid-night they heard a cheery “Oi" from the searchers, to which they joyously replied to.

So it ended up happily for them but a few thoughts came to my mind as I reflected on both their and our experience. The first two are sayings that my Mum used to always say.

1. “Familiarity breeds contempt”. It seems that when we think we know what we are doing we just don’t take the same care and responsibility, and often find ourselves, if not outright lost, certainly on the wrong path.

Remember! Those signs are there for a purpose; To warn of potential danger! Not as a decoration or as a job for a Sign writer, but as a warning. So take heed and take care and don’t become blasé because of familiarity.

2. “There is safety in Numbers”. That is in the number of teams rather than the number in the team. It was good that there were three in the team but it still would have been better, as in our case, if there had been other teams around. Whether they be of your own group or even complete strangers

3.Another point was, after doing all they could, all they could do then, was sit there and wait. Hard to do when you don’t know what is happening. But sometimes not only is it all you can do, but sometimes it really is the best you can do. They were lost but not injured. Had they wandered around continually, they could have been very easily.

4. The last point I reflected on was the difference in spirit a warm and welcoming word can mean. It was obviously a little time still till the rescuers actually met them face to face, but that friendly “Oi” made a world of difference to the people lost. Knowing there were others there, relieved them of all their fears, and all they had to do was wait. Much easier when you know what is happening.

What about you? Are you perhaps over familiar with the events around you and not taking the proper care and responsibility? Learn now before it is too late.

Are you trying to be Macho and do things on your own when you should be part off a team? Or even Teams?

Are you just running around blindly, when you should be sitting still and taking stock of your situation and waiting either for help or the right time?

Finally are you perhaps in need of a friendly word. Perhaps even you might be in a position to give someone else an encouraging word. Sometimes that is all it takes to make a difference in someone’s life An encouraging word!

Who can you encourage today? Why not do so? Walter