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It was a nightshift like so many before and so many after. It was a such a well-known routine I could have done half asleep. This one, though, was to be different. This one was to change me. I remember not the time, but I was called by Control to attend the South Unit and see to a prisoner. Upon my arrival, I dropped the trap on the cell door and looked in. What was before me was a scene that not even in my wildest imaginings, could I have envisioned. I had been involved in many First and Second Responses during my years of service, and was a member of the Prison’s Black-garbed Tactical Operations Internal Response Unit. I had seen stabbings, bashings, slashed wrists, broken bones and the aftermath of aggression, violence and rape. I had seen my fair share of blood I had been spat at, had faeces and urine thrown at me, been sworn at and threatened with violence, had threats of harm made against my family, been involved in violent confrontations but nothing prepared me for this. But here let me digress a tad and give you the protocols of dealing with that which confronted me: Control had to notified of the situation, a First Response with Medical had to be called and a second Officer had to attend the Unit before the Cell was broken open. This I did by radio, all the time never taking my eyes off the sight that was before me. The time that it took for the second Officer to attend the Unit was but minutes, though to me it seemed like hours, as I watched a man bleed out. A man whose path I had crossed a few times, but not a man I knew well. As I gazed fixedly into his cell I started to take a mental note of all that I saw. The blood-splattered walls, the congealing blood on the floor, that the prisoner had dragged himself through to reach the call button in a vain attempt to save his life. I never want to have to watch a man die that way again. To look into the eyes of a dying man is to look into the very soul of that person. To watch him slowly expire and not to be able to do anything to try to save him, will haunt me for the rest of my days. When the second Officer finally arrived, shortly before the Medical Response Team, and we cracked the cell the prisoner was, as far as we could tell, beyond saving. Walking into that cell is still vivid in my mind. I still see it so clearly in the nightmares that haunt me to this very day. I took it all in, the orderly and purposeful preparations. The way that the prisoner had neatly wrapped all his clothes and valuables in plastic to protect them being stained by his blood. The smell of death hanging in the acrid odour of blood. The way my service boots stuck to the floor, held fast by the coagulating blood of a man who could not cope with prison life. A man who felt that the only way out was for him to cut his femoral arteries. No, my friends, I never again want to look into the eyes of a dying man and see the terror and the pleading look, begging me to do something, anything to save him. Protocols. Bloody protocols stopped me from doing no more than watch him die. But his pleading look will never leave me, for as long as I live. May God have mercy on my soul.  VISIT
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High Country Road Trip
Been awhile since I have posted, so thought it time for an update..... Went on a Month long road trip / photoshoot with Loretta up into the Victorian and Southern New South Wales Alpine regions and Ned Kelly Country around Beechworth in Victoria.
We left on the 9th of February returning on the 9th of March. Took a few thousand photos, so much work to be done to sort through them, catergerise them and reduce the number. The real job then begins to work on the ones worthy of uploading to my websites, I have uploaded a map of our travels, to http://www.stuartmediaservices.com/about-stuart-media-services.html if you would like to check out where we travelled to. Some of the latest images have also been uploaded and can be viewed at http://www.stuartmediaservices.com/index.html
We took the Jeep, tent, Beau Dog and camped out at some spectacular camping spots both in the Alpine area and along the Murray and Ovens rivers. Our favourite was the Big River Camping ground just north of Omeo. The camping ground is a free one, and largely undiscovered by the masses, nestled on the banks of the Mita Mita river... Beautiful and so peaceful, we ended up staying there for 6 days, just checking out the surrounding countryside, shooting photographs, relaxing, fishing and 4WD exploring. It was a R&R trip as much as it was a Photoshoot.
It was a great trip and we were reluctant to return to civilisation lol.
I was going to take the bike, however she needed some work done on her ~ new struts, bushes and front seals, so she was off the road for 6 weeks.
Did not get her back till last Monday, which meant of course that I was inable to attend the Annual CCC Rally, this year held in Angaston South Australia. Most dissappointed that I coul not attend, have not made it to any of the rallies, always seems to be something that goes "Pear Shape" just before the event, which prevents me from going. With just a tad of luck I will make the 2014 rally in the Blue Mountains of NSW.
Planning is already underway for the next Road Trip, this time we will be heading off to the Central part of Victoria, Bendigo and districts, before heading back to the Alpine area to shoot pics of the Rivers and Waterfalls around Mt Buffalo.
If you get the chance check out Stuart Media http://www.stuartmediaservices.com and also have a look some of the images on my Artwanted The untappedsource and Fine Art America websites.... just click on the following links http://www.artwanted.com/artist.cfm?ArtID=74541&IRV=36 http://www.theuntappedsource.com/blairstuart and http://blair-stuart.artistwebsites.com/. If you happen to be looking for unique and individual gifts then feel free to visit my other Retail sites at Zazzlehttp://www.zazzle.com/stuartmediaservices and Lulu http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/StuartMedia....
A Facebook page of a close friend of mine is well worth checking out {and liking it would also be nice :) } https://www.facebook.com/AralBereux She is an up and coming Aussie Author and a truly gifted photographer.
Take care, stay safe and well and thanks for checking out my Blog.
Blair
We left on the 9th of February returning on the 9th of March. Took a few thousand photos, so much work to be done to sort through them, catergerise them and reduce the number. The real job then begins to work on the ones worthy of uploading to my websites, I have uploaded a map of our travels, to http://www.stuartmediaservices.com/about-stuart-media-services.html if you would like to check out where we travelled to. Some of the latest images have also been uploaded and can be viewed at http://www.stuartmediaservices.com/index.html
We took the Jeep, tent, Beau Dog and camped out at some spectacular camping spots both in the Alpine area and along the Murray and Ovens rivers. Our favourite was the Big River Camping ground just north of Omeo. The camping ground is a free one, and largely undiscovered by the masses, nestled on the banks of the Mita Mita river... Beautiful and so peaceful, we ended up staying there for 6 days, just checking out the surrounding countryside, shooting photographs, relaxing, fishing and 4WD exploring. It was a R&R trip as much as it was a Photoshoot.
It was a great trip and we were reluctant to return to civilisation lol.
I was going to take the bike, however she needed some work done on her ~ new struts, bushes and front seals, so she was off the road for 6 weeks.
Did not get her back till last Monday, which meant of course that I was inable to attend the Annual CCC Rally, this year held in Angaston South Australia. Most dissappointed that I coul not attend, have not made it to any of the rallies, always seems to be something that goes "Pear Shape" just before the event, which prevents me from going. With just a tad of luck I will make the 2014 rally in the Blue Mountains of NSW.
Planning is already underway for the next Road Trip, this time we will be heading off to the Central part of Victoria, Bendigo and districts, before heading back to the Alpine area to shoot pics of the Rivers and Waterfalls around Mt Buffalo.
If you get the chance check out Stuart Media http://www.stuartmediaservices.com and also have a look some of the images on my Artwanted The untappedsource and Fine Art America websites.... just click on the following links http://www.artwanted.com/artist.cfm?ArtID=74541&IRV=36 http://www.theuntappedsource.com/blairstuart and http://blair-stuart.artistwebsites.com/. If you happen to be looking for unique and individual gifts then feel free to visit my other Retail sites at Zazzlehttp://www.zazzle.com/stuartmediaservices and Lulu http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/StuartMedia....
A Facebook page of a close friend of mine is well worth checking out {and liking it would also be nice :) } https://www.facebook.com/AralBereux She is an up and coming Aussie Author and a truly gifted photographer.
Take care, stay safe and well and thanks for checking out my Blog.
Blair
Author
Artist, Writer, Photographer, Father, Grandfather, Poet, Biker, a lover of Women.
A proud Australian
A friend once described me as being;
"The epitome of a diamond in the rough. Peel away the tattoos and leather of the biker to reveal gentle humanity. He is Old School and with an old soul but nonetheless it is the soul of a poet".
Certainly and without any doubt I am a man of many Contradictions.
I am who I am.... who else can I be?.
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