Visitor rescued from cliff face
WHEN Kelvin Buckley went for his morning stroll along a Yeppoon beach yesterday morning, he wasn't expecting to be it to end with him being winched from a cliff by helicopter.
Kelvin, 49, from Western Australia, who is staying with his nephew at the coast, went for a walk from Mulambin Beach around the bluff to Kemp Beach around about 10am yesterday, but changed course after the tide began to rise.
As Kelvin climbed high away from the tide and onto a different track he hadn't walked before, he became stuck on the cliff face and was unable to move up or down, but luckily had a phone and called Triple 0.
"I've been going for walks almost every day but I got about three quarters of the way and the tide came up, so I tried a different way but got stuck," Kelvin said.
About 40 metres above the water on the cliff face, Kelvin said he had to hold onto the side of the bluff for fear of slipping.
"The rocks I was standing on were falling from underneath me and I was afraid I was going to go with it, so I got a bit worried then," he said.
Yeppoon Water Police, SES services and the Yeppoon Coast Guard boat maintained visual contact with Kelvin while emergency services attempted to rescue him.
He was rescued by the RACQ Capricorn Helicopter Rescue at 1.20pm, as QFRS and SES services worked in conjunction with ambulance and police.
Kelvin admitted to feeling a little embarrassed by causing quite a commotion, but SES local controller Eddie Cowie said people should not feel embarrassed about asking for help when in a dangerous situations.
."It was a 120 metre drop for rescuers but overall, the outcome was good," he said.
Kelvin said he wasn't expecting his leisurely morning walk to turn into a rescue operation and was relieved to be back on solid ground.
"I'm 49, but I'm old enough to know better," he said.
