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YOUTH DIES
FROM
THIRST
DARWIN, Nov. 23.
A 16-year-old youth
died of thirst in the
Camooweal Hospital
aarlv this morninc after he
ing picked up unconscious
on the shadeless Barkly
Highway in a temperature
of 110 degrees.
His mate was rescued in
time and now is in the Ten
nant Creek Hospital in a
satisfactory Condition.
A few hours earlier they
had refused an offer of a
waterbag while riding a
motor cycle from Mount isa
to Tennant Creek on the
almost waterless Barkly
Highway. .
The youth who died was
Ronald Jones, and his mate
now in Tennant Creek Hos
pital, is Barry Gordon, 16
both of Pascoevale, Victoria.
On Sunday the' youths
passed through Camooweal
and got petrol.
Later they called at
Soudan station on the way
to Tennant Creek and had
some water. They declined
a waterbag and petrol.
They passed one water
tank 30 miles further on
and ran out of petrol.
They tried to walk back
to the watertank. Jones,
the stronger, went ahead
while Gordon lay down un
der a tree a few yards away
trom the highway.
It is not known what
happened to Jones, except
that he was picked up un
conscious on the side of the
road by a hawker and taken
to Soudan, from where an
ambulance from Camooweal
was called.
He rallied in the Camoo
weal Hospital, but died a;
3.15 a.m. today.
Gordon told the police at
Tennant Creek Hospital
that he was too late to pull
up a couple of trucks after
trying to get to the high
way from the shade of the
tree, but finally caught the
eye of a utility driver b\
waving his shirt.
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