Coffs Harbour preview, best bets and inside mail for Sunday, June 29, 2025
This time last year talented hoop Brock Ryan was out of the saddle and had his mind on other things after taking a break from racing.
But fast forward to midway through 2025 and he's back and riding better than ever with seven winners from 30 rides.
But most importantly, he's got the buzz back for the grind that is the racing game and said he was able to keep pretty fit during his time away from the saddle.
'It's been good getting back into the swing of things,' Ryan said.
'My manager has been able to get me on some good rides and I've had good support from my old contacts and old trainers I used to ride for.
'The weight pretty much stayed around the same because I was working out on my feet all day and still surfing quite a bit so all that probably helped.'
The three time Group 2-winning jockey has had more than 3700 rides in his career but none of those have been around the Coffs Harbour circuit.
Normally plying his trade south of Sydney, Ryan got the call from his manager that trainer Noel Mayfield-Smith was looking for a jockey to partner his horses at Coffs Harbour.
With Ryan already halfway there after riding two gallopers at Newcastle on Saturday, he was happy to make the extra trip up the Pacific Highway where he's been booked to ride in six of the eight races on the card.
'My manager is pretty close to Noel Mayfield-Smith and he was just looking for a jockey so my manager asked if I'd like to head up there,' Ryan said.
'I thought 'I'm already halfway there' so told him I may as well press on and I've been given a few nice rides as well which is good.'
It will be a mini holiday for the Illawarra-based hoop, who grew up in Yamba, which is about an hour and a half north of Coffs Harbour.
'I grew up in Yamba so my parents will get to come down and watch me for the day so that will be good.'
Two of the horses Ryan is most keen to partner with are Monte Tiara in race 4 and Monte Outlander in race 7.
That's because he had a bit to do with both of them at their previous stable when in care of Robert and Luke Price at Kembla Grange.
'I had a bit to do with those two (Monte Outlander and Monte Tiara) when they were back with Rob and Luke so it will be good to ride them both.
'I'm pretty sure I rode Monte Tiara at her second start at Nowra and I rode Monte Outlander a few times as well.
'From just looking at the form of the races, they both look well placed so hopefully I can give them a good steer and get the job done.'
Most of Ryan's rides are for Mayfield-Smith but his first of the day will be for trainer Jason Deamer.
Deamer is set to saddle up talented three-year-old Piccaderro for his second start for the stable after starting off with Ciaron Maher.
'He looks like a pretty nice horse that had some good form at his last stable,' Ryan said.
'Just looking at his first-up run, I think he'll take a good bit of fitness into the next one and we're drawn pretty well down on the inside.
'He had barrier nine of nine at that Hawkesbury run so hopefully he can do a bit less work in the early stages and have enough left in the tank to hold them off late.'
â– â– â– â– â–
COFFS BARBOUR TIPS
BEST BET
Race 1 No.1: PICCADERRO
Ex-Ciaron Maher-trained horse made stable debut for Jason Deamer at Hawkesbury. Drew barrier nine of nine and had to do a bit of work to work forward from a wide barrier.
VALUE BET
Race 7 No.7: CASIRINA
Got too far back last time out in Wauchope Cup. Drops 1.5kg on that run and has a decent record around Coffs.
QUADDIE
Race 5: 6
Race 6: 1,6
Race 7: 1,3,5,7
Race 8: 1,2
JOCKEY TO FOLLOW
Group 2-winning hoop BROCK RYAN has six rides, and plenty look like winning hopes.
â– â– â– â– â–
COFFS BARBOUR INSIDE MAIL
1:RACE 1: MAIDEN HANDICAP (1315m)
Jason Deamer looks to have found the right race for PICCADERRO (1) at his second start for the stable. Drew barrier nine of nine first-up at Hawkesbury and had to do a bit of work early but he's got the inside barrier here with Group 2-winning jockey Brock Ryan booked to ride. SMASHING NOVA (4) had a weird run on debut. He went forward to settle in front before drifting back to be third last as they swung for home. Ran on for third and should improve. PIEDI VELOCI (2) hasn't been far off at her last couple and outside of the top two, this race looks pretty wide open.
BET: PICCADERRO to win.
RACE 2: MAIDEN PLATE (1515m)
NOT MY PROBLEM (11) looks set to peak third-up into her preparation after narrowly being touched off at Port Macquarie last time out. Should be up there on the speed and hard to get past with the extra fitness. CAUSEWAYS (1) went up to Rockhampton last start and was slow away from an inside barrier. DOLLARS (3) was backed last start at Newcastle and failed to get the cash but did run well for second and there's scope for improvement second-up. Like Piccaderro, Dollars used to be trained by Ciaron Maher. PURPLE HAZE (5) gets here off three sound efforts to start his career. Drawn tricky but in the mix.
BET: NOT MY PROBLEM to win.
BEEBEE (1) was first-up off more than a year last time out at Port Macquarie and ran as good as she could have. Drawn well in barrier two and gets a bit of weight relief with Jett Newman retaining the ride. Can break the maiden status here. MISS AURORA (7) is a former Victorian raider having her first start up north. No public trial but from what she showed at her previous stable, the talent is there. SIVO (3) chased hard for third last time out at Coffs Harbour behind Dizzy Dee. Like the former Parramatta winger he's named after, Luke Rolls can get him to the outside and fly home.
BET: BEEBEE to win.
STYLISED (1) carried a big weight in a strong Class 2 at Port Macquarie last time out. She carries a big weight again here but the race she's found is much easier than the previous. Leanne Boyd takes 3kg off and that should prove handy. HURRICANE HARLOW (4) drawn off the track and gets here off a freshen up. Has plenty of early speed so she should be able to cross and lead. MONTE TIANA (8) is ridden by Brock Ryan, who partnered her at start number two when she was stabled at Kembla Grange. Hasn't liked the heavy tracks at the last few runs.
BET: STYLISED each-way.
There wouldn't be many former Joseph O'Brien-trained gallopers tackling Coffs Harbour before but that's what ZELESTIAL (6) does here. At her third start for Lyle Chandler, she hit the line well at her last start and did win first-up at Tamworth. Likely to be short but should be hard to roll. SHALAMINYNA (7) recorded a dominant victory first-up at Taree at her first start for Paul Kelly. Drawn a bit more tricky this time but should improve off the run. HAZE (1) gets here off some good runs prior to heading for a spell having won by four lengths on the Beaumont track at Newcastle two back before a runner up finish at Quirindi. Likely to improve off the run but should be hitting the line hard.
BET: ZELESTIAL to win.
SAMMY CONQUERS ALL (1) contested a red hot race at Eagle Farm last month. Gets here off a freshen up with a tick over trial in between to keep him fit and up to the mark. Should be too good for these here with Brock Ryan in the saddle. BOAMBEE BEACH (9) doesn't win that often but broke through last time out here at Coffs Harbour over 1005m. Loves racing at the track with another four placings on the record from seven starts. KAYZ TIME (6) is building a strong record with two wins from six starts and should be right at her top third-up. SIR BOO (2) turned in a big run at odds last time out at Grafton. Should be peaking third-up into the campaign here.
BET: SAMMY CONQUERS ALL to win.
CASIRINA (7) got too far back last time out at Port Macquarie in the Wauchope Cup and it was tough to make ground from there. Drops 1.5kg on that run and has a decent record around Coffs Harbour. RUSSIAN RONI (1) hasn't won since the Tasmanian Guineas in 2023 but is getting better at each start for Kris Lees. Drops a kilo on his last run and maps to get a similar run in transit. INDIFFERENCE (3) has had two runs in stronger races to start the campaign off. Should get his chance to break through here. MONTE OUTLANDER (10) needs a bit of luck from a poor barrier.
MR DAMAGE (1) hasn't raced since January in a preparation where he never finished outside of the first four. Luke Rolls should be able to put him into the race from an inside barrier and it's worth noting he does have a strong first-up record. DE FORZA (2) gets here first-up off a break after doing plenty at his first preparation. He's notably the only colt racing at Coffs Harbour today. LOVE RAT (4) had no luck at all last start but did win before that. Drawn better here in gate six. SPEEDY TARGET (6) next best.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Australian
an hour ago
- The Australian
Sam Konstas suffers fresh failure as Australia collapse v West Indies
To borrow a phrase from Paul Keating, Shamar Joseph did Sam Konstas slowly. Dropped twice on nought in Joseph's first over of Australia's second innings- making it five spills for the match off the star paceman's bowling - Konstas muddled his way to five over 53 minutes. There were a couple of wild dances down the wicket, pokes at balls not there to be poked, before the coup de grace: playing onto his stumps with an angled bat, once more unable to combat an inswinging delivery. SCROLL DOWN TO RE-LIVE THE DAY'S ACTION IN OUR BLOG It was cruel and unusual punishment for a player who despite undoubted prodigious talent is well short of being the finished article. Konstas' game has clear technical flaws, and his judgment is questionable. That shouldn't be a problem. Nineteen-year-olds are not meant to be ready. Growing pains are a real phenomenon. The issue is that the Test arena is not supposed to be the place where Australian cricketers learn their game. The idea is that the best XI gets picked. Development is to be done in domestic cricket, for Australia A, and in the nets. This is especially the case in the era of the World Test Championship. Sam Konstas bowled by Shamar Joseph as part of an Australain top-order collapse. Picture: AFP In December 2023, as debate raged as to whether David Warner should be given a farewell series against Pakistan, selection chairman George Bailey said: 'There's points on the line for each and every game. So our focus is very much on picking the XI that we think can do the job.' The panel is hoping for quick rewards from a player averaging less than 35 in first-class cricket, whose only two Sheffield Shield centuries came in the same game back in October. His Boxing Day feats will live long in Australian sporting lore, however that Konstas innings to tame Jasprit Bumrah could have ended several times in the first over alone. That half-century on debut stands as the exception, not the rule. Konstas' half-century on debut remains the outlier in his Test career. Picture: Michael Klein Still, having backed him for this series, it is hard to envisage the panel looking elsewhere for the next couple of Tests, even with Steve Smith's potential return. After all, Josh Inglis missed out in both innings too, as did Cameron Green. And very few players have looked comfortable batting on this unexpectedly difficult Kensington Oval wicket. Green was more assured than he had been in his first three innings since returning to international cricket, but still fell for 15, nicking Justin Greaves to first slip after surviving a line-ball DRS lbw call moments earlier. Inglis shouldered arms to a delivery nipping back from Jayden Seales on 12, paying the price. Usman Khawaja, though probably more convincing than he had been on day one, was hurried by Alzarri Joseph to fall the wrong side of an umpire's call lbw shout on 15, continuing a theme of the 38-year-old being undone by quality fast bowling. Justin Greaves (R) celebrates the dismissal of Cameron Green late on day two. Picture: AP Though Marnus Labuschagne is waiting in the wings, it is hard to envisage any change to the top six for the second Test save for the possible inclusion of Smith - convalescing this week in New York - at the expense of Inglis. Suddenly the Frank Worrell Trophy - held by Australia for three decades - is imperilled. And hopes of returning to the WTC final in 2027 would also take an early hit with defeat in the Caribbean. And no one needs to be reminded of an Ashes series on the horizon. This is looking like a rocky year for the Aussies.
News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
Adelaide v Richmond AFL Round 16: Live updates, SuperCoach scores, teams
Can the Crows get their three-headed monster back up and running as well? At the start of the season the three-tall forward line of Riley Thilthorpe, Taylor Walker and Darcy Fogarty – with Dan Curtin flicking between a wing and attack – looked like it could be a point of difference for Matthew Nicks. While the question was around how would the Crows' defence stack up against the good sides of the competition. At the midway point of their season, the questions have been reversed. Against the top nine sides of the competition, the Crows defence is standing up quite nicely. Their clearance to score against is the best in the competition, their score per inside 50 against is third in the competition, while their intercept to score against is seventh in the competition. It isn't being reflected offensively though. The Crows are 16th for intercept to score and score per inside 50 against top nine sides, while their clearance to score is 17th. Only twice against top nine sides, Round 4 against Gold Coast and Round 5 against Geelong have the Crows scored above 70 points so far this year. And the weather is only getting colder and wetter, and the ball only more slippery. Port Adelaide premiership player Dean Brogan said ground ball games became extremely important as the season went on. 'The three talls are starting to become a talking point,' he said on Grandstand SA. 'They haven't performed of late, they were really good at the start of the year when the grounds were dry. 'They are not getting off the chain like they were at the start of the year, it is something they will probably have a look at during their week off. 'Are they getting the output they want from these three talls? Because in the middle of winter and towards the back-end of the season the ground ball game becomes very important and the best teams in the comp have really good ground ball games and if you are two tall you get found out. 'I think the three talls have to be looked at.' In the Crows' last game against Hawthorn, Thilthorpe, Walker and Fogarty combined for just the seven points. The week before against Brisbane just Thilthorpe and Walker finished with a goal, in a pleasing sign that the Crows can win without the three firing on all cylinders. But the issue will be can the Crows go so tall – Curtin has been performing well prior to the bye – at a stage of the season where the ball is more on the deck? Adelaide coaching director Murray Davis said the Crows would take seven shots from their three-tall attack most weeks, and they wanted to have multiple avenues to goal. 'If you look at the last two games, Hawthorn and Brisbane, both teams really struggled to hit the scoreboard,' he said. 'So let's look at the bigger picture and what we were able to do. 'When we get our ball movement going and we are able to give those guys the opportunities they have shown and we have shown that we are a pretty hard team to stop. 'What makes a really good team is having a lot of difference avenues to goal. 'We don't want to rely on our three key forwards being the ones impacting the scoreboard each week because I think if you do have that it becomes easier to defend.' Davis knows just how potent a firing three-tall forward line can be. Previous side Brisbane won last year's flag with Joe Daniher, Eric Hipwood and Logan Morris – although he is 191cm – spearheading the Lions' forward line. So it can work and bring the ultimate success.
ABC News
2 hours ago
- ABC News
How one slip on the Franklin River triggered a race to save a rafter's life
When Valdas Bieliauskas fell into the Franklin River, it triggered an extraordinary rescue mission that pushed everyone to the brink. Valdas jumps from one boulder to another. It's a simple rock hop, one he's made hundreds of times in his 50 years of rafting. But this time, in the remote and rugged Tasmanian wilderness, it goes horribly wrong. Valdas slips — and falls into the thundering rapids of the Franklin River. His left leg jams in a narrow gap between two boulders. "My friends tied ropes around me and tried hauling me out," Valdas tells Australian Story in Lithuania. "But the leg was so tightly wedged that their efforts were fruitless." Around 13 tonnes of water per second are flowing down the river, pouring onto him. It is the beginning of a harrowing 24-hour ordeal, and one of the most complex rescue operations in the state's history. For the first time Australian Story can reveal the extraordinary setbacks rescuers had to overcome during the precarious mission, including serious injury and unexpected equipment failure. Crews have also spoken in detail about how they confronted the option of last resort – a high-risk underwater amputation. Valdas' fall prompted one of the most complex rescue operations in Tasmania's history. ( Supplied ) "I felt so conflicted. If this goes ahead, you might kill him," Intensive Care flight paramedic Rohan Kilham says. "But even if it all goes perfectly, he'll never be the same again." An SOS from the Great Ravine Valdas is an experienced adventurer, drawn to the freedom of wild places and the adrenaline rush of a challenging river run. The 66-year-old Lithuanian has travelled the world with a group of paddling mates, trying to tick off a river on five continents. Valdas's rafting adventures have taken him around the world. ( Supplied ) Valdas and his friends want to travel to five continents. Valdas (on right) grew up kayaking and rafting rivers in the former Soviet Union. ( Supplied ) The last stop on their mission was Australia, and an epic multi-day pack-rafting journey along the Franklin River. On November 22, 2024, the group of 11 is five days in. They're in the Great Ravine, a spectacular and formidable gorge. They decide the conditions aren't right to run the rapid ahead; instead they will portage their catarafts down this stretch of the river. Valdas scouts the route ahead on foot. It's after midday when he loses his footing. "I think it was my hydro-boot with its hard sole that made it slippery on rock," says Valdas, speaking to Australian media for the first time. In a split second, he is trapped at Coruscades rapid; submerged up to his chest in cold water, about 10 degrees Celsius. For 40 minutes, the rafters try to free their friend. When all their efforts fail, they send an SOS message via satellite phone. "All of us were lost. We felt uncertainty and we didn't know how everything will finish," Lithuanian rafter Arvydas Rudokas says. There's always a way — until there isn't Over the next five hours, police, paramedics, doctors and swift water rescuers are winched into the remote scene. They use spreaders, hydraulics and airbags in a bid to create space between the boulders trapping Valdas's leg. They drill a tripod into the rocks to create a pulley system and shift his body in various directions to try to extricate him. "The rescuer even grabbed me by the waist to haul me up, but my leg wouldn't budge," Valdas recalls. "I think, if he'd been stronger, like Schwarzenegger, he might have managed to uproot me, leaving the leg behind." The rescuers consider every idea, no matter how outlandish it seems. Every attempt fails. Intensive Care flight paramedic Rohan Kilham was one of six rescuers at the scene. ( Supplied ) "How does someone's leg go into a crack and not come out?" paramedic Rohan says. "Surely there's a way — there's always a way. "And there wasn't." As the hours pass, the rescuers are repeatedly struck by how calm Valdas appears. His wetsuit is helping him stay warm, and friends bring him hot food and drinks every 30 minutes to keep his body temperature up. "You could see the determination in Valdas's eyes," swift water rescuer Adrian 'Ace' Petrie says. "Even though his body was deteriorating, in his mind he was not giving up." But despite his stoicism, there is growing fear that Valdas will not survive. "I began to think, maybe I'm destined to stay here, stuck, forever," Valdas says. Valdas was given pain medication during the gruelling rescue. ( Supplied ) His leg or his life The crews stay with Valdas through the long, dark hours of the night. His friends keep the hot drinks coming. But the elements are taking their toll, and hypothermia starts to set in. Valdas receives pain medication as the hours pass. "He was getting colder. He'd lost a fair bit of conversation. His demeanour had totally changed," Ace says. By the early hours of the morning, it is clear only one option remains — and it's the option nobody wants. "It was a big mental hurdle, realising that we were going to cut his leg off," Rohan says. "I'd never had to hurt someone to save their life." Swift water rescuer 'Ace' Petrie tries to free Valdas's leg from the crevice. Valdas doesn't speak much English, so rescuers call on Arvydas, who is a medical doctor, to deliver the grim news. "Valdas asked, 'So I will become handicapped?' Maybe, Valdas. But if not, you will die here in this hole," Arvydas says. Valdas nods his head, meaning, "Alright, do what you need to do". The amputation will take place at first light. "I prayed to God, that's all I could do. Even as a medical person, I couldn't help," Arvydas says. 'I knew I'd broken something' The only doctor among the rescue crew, Nick Scott, is tasked with amputating Valdas's leg above the knee. No amount of experience could have prepared him for surgery underwater, in the wilderness, with very few resources, on belay. The doctor longs for the support of a colleague, but the towering cliffs of the ravine make communication almost impossible. "I felt isolated," he said. As he makes his way down the wet rocks towards the water's edge, the unthinkable happens. He slips and falls. "I put my hand back and all my weight went through my hand," Nick says. "I immediately knew that I'd broken something." It's his wrist. He lets out "a few expletives", realising the amputation can't go ahead as planned. "Nick was pretty shattered," swift water rescuer Ace says. "When you're in those scenarios, you like to see them through." Communication was difficult in the remote location. The ground crews get a message out: another doctor needs to be flown in. The big question is whether Valdas will survive another few hours. "His power and strength were dramatically decreasing," Arvydas says. 'Like stepping off a cliff' It's mid-morning when the new doctor, Jorian 'Jo' Kippax, himself an experienced white-water kayaker, is winched into the scene. He feels overwhelmed as he hears the loud roar of the river, and takes in the faces of the people who have worked all night on a precarious rock platform. The doctor also agonises over the decision to amputate, but everyone agrees Valdas is running out of time. "The inevitable consequence of him staying there was death, and that was going to be quite soon," he says. The doctor lowers himself down beside Valdas. Dr Jo Kippax prepares for the amputation. ( Supplied ) Immediately he feels the pull of the water, wanting to suck him under. He wedges himself in an awkward spread-eagled position, and takes a breath. "There was a moment, a real sense of, I really, really don't want to do this." Once he starts, there is no going back. "It was like stepping off a cliff. All of a sudden from that point, you were in freefall and the only endpoint is an amputated leg," paramedic Rohan says. The moment the saw snaps With general anaesthesia not being possible, Valdas is knocked out with ketamine. Jo can't see the leg, so he opts to do the surgery with bare hands, so he can feel what he's doing. The velcro tourniquets don't work under water, but he improvises using ratchet straps. Then he starts the procedure. He cuts away the muscles of the thigh, "leaving the tremendously strong femur". "We are trained to saw through this using a Gigli saw — a fine wire which has got sharp serrations on it," he says. "It's very light, which is why we favour it. But it's also pretty delicate. "And in this case, it broke." Jo's heart drops. Fortunately he manages to break through the rest of the femur. Within seconds Valdas is free. Jo helped Valdas onto the stretcher, where he was put on a mechanical CPR machine. ( Supplied ) "Suddenly, he came backwards into my arms. I was waiting for a gush of blood, but there wasn't," he says. "The entire procedure, although it felt a long time to me, only took about two minutes." Crews haul Valdas out of the water and up a rock face. As Arvydas watches, he is devastated. "The colour of his skin, and the body … my diagnosis was Valdas is dead," he says. He returns to his camp and is silent for several minutes. He only tells his friends to pray for Valdas. The second stage of the rescue Everyone is aware that the amputation doesn't guarantee Valdas's survival. After 24 hours in the water, there is an "extremely high chance" of hypothermic cardiac arrest. Initially Valdas responds well, but then he starts to crash. He stops breathing, so the paramedics put him on a ventilator. Then his heart stops beating. "There's a little part of you that thinks that we killed him as his rescuers," Rohan says. Arvydas notices that no one makes eye contact with him. He asks the rescue crew if Valdas is dead. Arvydas Rudokas was one of the Lithuanian rafters on the trip. ( Australian Story: Tom Hancock ) "I couldn't say yes, but I definitely couldn't say no," Rohan says. Valdas is hooked up to a mechanical CPR machine before he is winched up to the chopper. By the time he arrives at hospital in Hobart, the machine has been keeping his heart beating for 90 minutes. "If your heart stops beating on the side of the Franklin River," Rohan says, "Except that Valdas died of a hypothermic cardiac arrest, and it's one of the really unique ways where you actually have a chance." Because hypothermia slows the body's systems down so much, Jo says, humans can survive "quite long periods of not breathing or very little heart activity". Six rescuers were on the ground with Valdas. ( Supplied ) The last hymn you hear before heaven or hell A paramedic has called ahead to alert the hospital that Valdas urgently needs to go on a heart-lung bypass machine, called ECMO, if he is to survive. The ECMO machine warms and oxygenates his blood outside his body and then pumps it back in, until they can restart his heart. Valdas stays on the machine in a coma for four days. As he wakes, he hears a hymn playing over and over in his head. "The last hymn you hear before ending up in heaven, or in hell," he says. "After the hymn I open my eyes and see white — a white ceiling above. I was waking up in the ICU ward." Valdas regained consciousness in hospital. ( Supplied ) While doctors, nurses and paramedics are overjoyed, there is concern he has suffered brain damage from the accident. Jurgita Rakauskaite-Stanwix, a member of the Hobart Lithuanian community, comes in to help with translation. She holds his hand and translates for doctors as they undertake tests to assess his neurological state. On the second day, Valdas surprises everyone when he speaks in English. "He said, 'I'm survivor!'" Jurgita says. "I was in tears. Nurses were in tears. It's just such a beautiful moment. And he is. He is a survivor." Before long, Valdas meets the man who amputated his leg in the wilderness. Valdas meets his rescuers in hospital. ( Supplied ) Jo also works as a trauma specialist, and becomes Valdas's treating doctor. "I felt like I had to apologise. And he too was quite emotional," the doctor says. "We both looked at his leg, and looked at each other, and said, 'I'm sorry, this is the way it is.'" Valdas knows the amputation was the right call. "Otherwise I would still be stuck there to this day. I would have two legs, but I would still be over there," he says. 'Life is a beautiful thing' In late January, Valdas returned home to Lithuania's capital Vilnius. His sister Rasa is helping in his recovery. "This accident has given me the understanding that in life, everything is possible. Every challenge can be overcome," she says. When Australian Story visited Valdas in May, he was walking on crutches. Now, he's learning to walk again with a prosthesis. Australian Story met Valdas in Lithuania. ( Australian Story: Tom Hancock ) "I survived. I endured. That's the greatest joy," he says. "As for the leg, that's not a problem. "The main thing is being alive and life is a beautiful thing." Arvydas says his friend was a legend with two legs, and is now a "double legend". "It doesn't matter. Broken leg. Cut leg. But alive," he says. A lot went wrong for Valdas, but a lot went his way, too. His thick wetsuit kept him warm. He was wearing a life jacket — without it, Ace believes he "probably would have got sucked under the rock". If it had rained even a few millimetres, the river could have risen and drowned him. The marathon rescue involved two helicopters, 500 kilograms of gear and a record-breaking 57 winches. And, communication problems which dogged the rescuers were helped when an AMSA jet was flown overhead later in the rescue to provide critical radio communications. Valdas is grateful for those who saved his life. "The Australian people were fantastic. It brings tears to my eyes when I remember their care," he says. "If it had happened in a place other than Australia, heaven knows what would have happened to me." Valdas and his friends in Lithuania. ( Australian Story: Tom Hancock ) A vow to finish what he started Valdas now has the "crazy idea" to return to the Franklin River in 2026 and finish the journey that changed his life forever. "Because that incident interrupted our expedition, the Franklin River venture remained unfinished," he says. "I don't know whether anyone has ever gone rafting with a prosthesis." Arvydas would be at his side — and their rafting party may include a new member. Jo has formed a strong bond with Valdas. "Valdas is a tremendously strong, independent, accomplished person," he says. "This idea that Valdas might want to come back and do the Franklin doesn't surprise me one little bit. "And I'd love to do that trip with him." Watch Australian Story's 'The River' part 1, 8:00pm Monday June 23, on ABCTV and ABC iview . 'The River' part 2, on Monday July 7. Credits:
