February was a period of highs and lows as annual events, like the Gumi Race, were overshadowed by some tragedies.
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In early February, a kayaker discovered a body in the Murrumbidgee River. This was later found to be Lenny Kschenka, a 66-year-old local man, who passed on February 9.
Mr Kschenka was remembered as a gentle giant and his brother Neville Kschenka, from Narrandera, said he “wouldn’t hurt a fly”.
“He was a very generous person and I quite often received inquiries about his health and how he was, many people in Junee and Ganmain where he also lived missed him and asked where he was,” Neville said.
The Riverina Police District also investigated the death of a 17-month-old baby in Ashmont and an explosion on February 27 rocked a Docker Street Service Station.
Many businesses in Wagga were also trapped under a curse as more Baylis Street stores faced closure.
Two shop-front neighbours PastaCup and Carv’n It Up marked yet another blow to Wagga’s largest shopping strip, with their unexpected closures.
This followed the previous month’s disdain as retailer Mountain Designs shut up shop on the main street.
Wagga Business Chamber president Danielle Pascoe said while it is disappointing, “there are always going to be certain parts of the sector thriving while others struggle”.
Despite some grey areas, events brought the community spirit back to life.
The annual Gumi Race saw 30 rafts battling it out for the title of world champion, with only four teams left standing.
Hundreds flocked to the Tumbarumba and Tumut Cups for some betting and frolicking.
Finally, one of the region’s own rose to the top of the nation’s political arena and became the new Deputy Prime Minister.
Experts call for caution over the festive season
February saw four separate workplace incidents and the recent tragedy at the Wagga Car Wreckers is prompting calls for caution over the summer period.
Workplace safety has been put into the spotlight as over 400 SafeWork claims from the region have been made since the beginning of the year.
In February, a Leeton woman, 66, was run over by a tractor in a farming accident while working and was airlifted to Sydney’s St George Hospital.
SafeWork NSW executive director Tony Williams said workplace incidents increase in summer as safety is often relaxed.
“I think this is the time when we all have other things on our mind, like Christmas and family arrangements, but it doesn’t take much in some occupations for that to become quite tragic,” Mr Williams said.
“The main issues we’re seeing is falls and this is the biggest killer in the construction sector.
“People want their houses finished and therefore there is pressure for builders and our advice to construction companies is to resist those pressures and keep their workers safe because the work can always wait.”
The phrase 'she'll be right' can mean that we see a large number of life changing events that could have been avoided.
- NSW SafeWork executive director Tony Williams.
Mr Williams said that regional areas can often fall victims to preventative incidents.
“It’s a timely reminder that visitors to farms who might want to try out the equipment; no matter what the pressure is, farmers say no,” he said.
“Only someone who is familiar with the machinery should use it, and this especially goes out to children.
“Quad bikes are the number one killer on farms and our message to farmers is to think whether this is the right vehicles for their farm.”
Mr Williams stressed the importance of planning ahead and making sure that businesses include the price of safety in their quotes.
According to SafeWork NSW, there were 436 workplace incidents received in 2018 up until December 19 for the Riverina-Murray region and of those incidents, 34 were from Wagga.
“SafeWork NSW is continuing its enquiry into an incident that occurred at a car wreckers on Fernleigh Road, Glenfield Park on Monday afternoon,” a spokesperson said.
A Wagga sports and muscular skeletal physiotherapist Paul Heffernan said a significant amount of his clients have work-related injuries.
“Workers need to be aware and ensure they are receiving proper inductions,” Mr Heffernan said.
“We see a lot of workplace injuries, mainly from overuse, and we’re now focusing on people’s wellbeing during the recovery process.
“Looking at their returning to work barriers and rehabilitating them back into life, with less of a focus on the compensation.”
Similarly, physiotherapist at Synergy Healthworks Marcus Smith said the most common injury is the back.
“Probably about 10 to 15 per cent of my clientele is due to work-related injuries, it’s not a huge amount but still significant,” Mr Smith said.
Wagga counsellor Clive Murphy works on the person’s trauma from the workplace incident.
“The counselling side is about getting them back into work because often it’s a mental injury as well,” Mr Murphy said.
“People tend to focus on how bad something is and dwell on being the victim, but instead we want to focus on the healing.”
Unions NSW secretary Mark Morey said that everyone deserves to come home from work safely.
“Too often workers are put in compromising positions due to cost cutting and short-sighted management,” he said.
“As people take leave over the summer period all workplaces should ensure that workplace health and safety is still front of mind, especially in warm weather.”
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