The Rock Nature Reserve walk on Saturday 27 Feb 2016 

Insights into Club Insurance and Ambulance Cover

On Saturday we got off to an early start to try and beat the heat and had completed the walk by 12-30 pm. We met with a young couple near the summit who were in strife because of an ankle injury requiring an Ambulance and SES recovery. We were able to provide some basic first aid assistance. Jan bandaged the ankle, Tony relayed gps location information to the ambos and Carmen provided the bandages and lent her walking poles to help the injured walker descend to a point where the ambos could take over with a stretcher. As the person did not have ambulance insurance and the incident was attended by ambulance, ses and fire crews this clearly was going to be an expensive exercise. This prompted us to consider the likely implications in the event of a similar incident for MVB members and guests. Members and properly registered guests are covered under the clubs personal accident insurance in these circumstances - however the maximum payable by insurance is 80% of accident costs to a maximum of $3000 and there is an excess fee of $150 associated with each time a personal accident insurance claim is made. Typical ambulance recovery costs in Victoria are detailed in this page - as you will see it can be extremely expensive to have to be rescued.

http://www.ambulance.vic.gov.au/About-Us/Fees.html

The cost of rescue needs to be compared to the cost of ambulance insurance - single membership of Ambulance Victoria providing full coverage of costs is just $42 per year. For those relying on their private health insurance for cover, Ambulance Victoria recommends contacting your fund and using the Ambulance Cover Checklist as a guide to determine if you have sufficient ambulance cover.

http://www.ambulance.vic.gov.au/Membership/Join.html

The Bushwalking Australia website has full details and FAQ document of our three insurance policy types - Personal Accident, Public Liability and Association Liability - explore the items under the Insurance menu on the website here 

Morgans Lookout Walla Walla 

After The Rock walk Pete took us on a driving wander down memory lane of his childhood and this included a side trip into the Lookout. What an amazing location - despite the horrific circumstances surrounding this bushranger one couldnt help but feel this place had some magic about it. It was probably the magnificent ancient yellow box trees and the massive granite boulders that tower over the site. The Nature Conservation Trust of NSW describes the Yellow Box, Eucalyptus melliodora, as a majestic tree some of whose amazing secrets are only just being uncovered. Great whirls of peeling bark at its base, creamy white smooth bark appearing on the upper trunk and on the limbs, copious amounts of rich nectar when it flowers, the species is not only a striking feature in the agricultural landscape but also an important source of food and shelter for myriad of animals. However it thrives on fertile soils so that has just about sealed its fate. Who knows what quirk of fate allowed these giants to survive.