Police probe death of farmers’ champion: [2 All-round First Edition]
Stapleton, John. The Australian [Canberra, A.C.T] 15 May 2006: 3.
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Abstract
Police said the man helped Mr [Rick Farley] to the top but when he “momentarily” turned around, the wheelchair began to run back down the 15m ramp. Mr Farley fell out of the chair, hitting his head on the concrete.
Tributes for Mr Farley poured in yesterday. Speaking from Washington, John Howard expressed his sorrow and sympathy for his family, including Mr Farley’s partner, the NSW Labor MP Linda Burney. “I knew that he’d been ill for a long time,” he said. “He played a very significant role in relation to indigenous issues and also, of course, was for a long time the director of the National Farmers Federation.”
Full Text
POLICE were yesterday investigating the mysterious death of the architect of Australia’s Landcare movement, rural lobbyist Rick Farley, after he was found lying outside a Sydney hospital.
Mr Farley was best known as the man who went from being a flower child in the 1970s to running the conservative National Farmers Federation. He forged a bond between the NFF and the Australian Conservation Foundation to found Landcare Australia, with thehelp of the Hawke government.
His journey encompassed unique contradictions, from his early days as a student radical to running the Cattlemen’s Union and later as a staunch advocate for indigenous people.
Mr Farley suffered an aneurism on Boxing Day last year. He suffered brain damage as a result and had been in a coma in Balmain Hospital in Sydney for several months. A family spokesman said he had emerged from the coma but could not speak or communicate easily.
Yesterday, police questioned staff and visitors at the hospital in an attempt to discover what Mr Farley, 53, was doing outside and how he apparently came to fall from his wheelchair.
Mr Farley wheeled himself out of the hospital door, then gestured to a young man in his late 20s or early 30s for help to get up a steep ramp to street level.
Police said the man helped Mr Farley to the top but when he “momentarily” turned around, the wheelchair began to run back downthe 15m ramp. Mr Farley fell out of the chair, hitting his head on the concrete.
An ambulance spokesman said Mr Farley was found unconscious with head injuries and was taken to nearby Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. He died several hours later.
A spokeswoman for the Sydney Southwest Area Health Service refused to comment on the circumstances of his death or the police investigation.
Tributes for Mr Farley poured in yesterday. Speaking from Washington, John Howard expressed his sorrow and sympathy for his family, including Mr Farley’s partner, the NSW Labor MP Linda Burney. “I knew that he’d been ill for a long time,” he said. “He played a very significant role in relation to indigenous issues and also, of course, was for a long time the director of the National Farmers Federation.”
Director of the Australian Conservation Foundation Don Henry described Mr Farley as “a great Australian“.
“He made an outstanding contribution to farmers, to the environment and indigenous Australians and he will be sorely missed,” he said. “Part of his outstanding contribution was he brought people of completely different interests together.”
Features — Page 8
Editorial — Page 15
First edition:
Police probe death of Landcare architect: [1 All-round Country Edition]
Stapleton, John. The Australian [Canberra, A.C.T] 15 May 2006: 3.
Abstract
Mr [Rick Farley] was best known as the man who went from being a flower child in the 1970s to running the conservative National Farmers Federation. He forged a bond between the NFF and the Australian Conservation Foundation to found Landcare Australia, with the help of the Hawke government.
Tributes for Mr Farley poured in yesterday. Speaking from Washington, John Howard expressed his sorrow and sympathy for his family, including Mr Farley’s partner, the NSW Labor MP Linda Burney. “I knew that he’d been ill for a long time,” he said. “He played a very significant role in relation to indigenous issues and also, of course, was for a long time the director of the National Farmers Federation.”
Full Text
POLICE were yesterday investigating the mysterious death of the architect of Australia’s Landcare movement, Rick Farley, after he was found lying outside a Sydney hospital.
Mr Farley was best known as the man who went from being a flower child in the 1970s to running the conservative National Farmers Federation. He forged a bond between the NFF and the Australian Conservation Foundation to found Landcare Australia, with the help of the Hawke government.
His journey encompassed unique contradictions, from his early days as a student radical to running the Cattlemen’s Union and later as a staunch advocate for indigenous people.
Mr Farley suffered an aneurism on Boxing Day last year. He suffered brain damage as a result and had been in a coma in Balmain Hospital in Sydney for several months. A family spokesman said he had emerged from the coma but could not speak or communicate easily.
Yesterday, police questioned staff and visitors at the hospital in an attempt to discover what Mr Farley was doing outside and how he apparently came to fall from his wheelchair.
Police were “particularly keen” to speak with a neatly dressed man with brown hair in his late 20s or early 30s who is believed to have assisted Mr Farley out of the wards. “We are not pointing the finger of blame at anyone. We just want to get a clear idea of what happened,” a spokeswoman said.
An ambulance spokesman said Mr Farley was found unconscious with head injuries directly outside the hospital and was transported to nearby Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. He died in the emergency unit several hours later.
A spokeswoman for the Sydney Southwest Area Health Service refused to comment on the circumstances of his death or the police inquiry into how a seriously ill man came to be lying on the footpath outside the hospital.
Tributes for Mr Farley poured in yesterday. Speaking from Washington, John Howard expressed his sorrow and sympathy for his family, including Mr Farley’s partner, the NSW Labor MP Linda Burney. “I knew that he’d been ill for a long time,” he said. “He played a very significant role in relation to indigenous issues and also, of course, was for a long time the director of the National Farmers Federation.”
Director of the Australian Conservation Foundation Don Henry described Mr Farley as “a great Australian”.
“He made an outstanding contribution to farmers, to the environment and indigenous Australians and he will be sorely missed,” he said. “Part of his outstanding contribution was he brought people of completely different interests together.”
Features — Page 8
Editorial — Page 15