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Speaker 1: Citi and Weather with Kate Ritchie podcast.

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Speaker 2: We woke to horrific news yesterday morning when we heard

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Speaker 2: of the ten people that lost their lives in the

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Speaker 2: bus tragedy of the Hunter Valley up in the wedding

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Speaker 2: there on Sunday night. This was the call made from

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Speaker 2: emergency Services. This was the first responder onto the scene.

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Speaker 1: Major incident declared, we have a bus rollover. Novel patients

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Speaker 1: at this age. I need all resourses.

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Speaker 3: Allocated to continue.

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Speaker 2: I'm still trying to work out exactly how many patients

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Speaker 2: I hope he still trying to get details, still trying

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Speaker 2: to get answers. One man who is outside the Singleton

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Speaker 2: Police station where the bus driver is being held at

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Speaker 2: the moment is Liam Tapper, Sunrise reporter, and he joins us, now,

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Speaker 2: thanks for coming on the show, Lamb my pleasure.

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Speaker 1: Sam.

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Speaker 2: Can you give us any updates mate on the bus driver.

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Speaker 2: He has been charged any more details?

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Speaker 1: Yeah, he's been charged with a number of fences, some

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Speaker 1: pretty serious charges as well. Overnight he was charged with

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Speaker 1: ten offenses of dangerous driving occasion in death. Now each

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Speaker 1: one of those they carry with them a maximum of

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Speaker 1: ten years in prison and if he is found guilty,

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Speaker 1: along with one charge of negligent driving occasionally death. We

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Speaker 1: know a bit more about the driver, Brett Andrew Button.

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Speaker 1: He's a fifty eight year old man from Maitland. He's

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Speaker 1: an experienced driver working for this bus company. He would

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Speaker 1: have known these roads. He wouldn't have been the first

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Speaker 1: time you would have suspected he was driven driven around

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Speaker 1: that roundabout. But he will face court later this morning

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Speaker 1: here in Cesino. Just start at nine am. We're expecting

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Speaker 1: him to face court on those serious, serious charges.

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Speaker 3: I've seen the front of the paper today and of

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Speaker 3: course it's come to light that some people have said

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Speaker 3: that he was talking to the passengers on the bus

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Speaker 3: while he was driving, and just moments before the accident occurred,

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Speaker 3: that he may have been revving up the passengers saying

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Speaker 3: that he could drive the bus faster. Do you know

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Speaker 3: any information about that and whether it's actually true?

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Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, Okay, it's still hard at the moment because

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Speaker 1: it is in front of the court. So this is

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Speaker 1: all just alleged evidence that's been put forward by by

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Speaker 1: a key witnesses. But you know this is these are

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Speaker 1: the accounts that are coming forward from people who are

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Speaker 1: on the bus. Those people who have miraculously survived this tragedy,

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Speaker 1: one of the worst tragedies I've seen on New South

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Speaker 1: Wales roads. This is easily accounts that have been put forward.

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Speaker 1: We understand by to loved ones rather but also to police.

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Speaker 1: And if you could imagine, just try to put yourself

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Speaker 1: on that bus, if you are hearing those alleged words

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Speaker 1: from the bus driver, could you imagine how you were

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Speaker 1: feeling at the time and now knowing what's tragically happened.

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Speaker 1: Those ten people at this point have lost their lives.

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Speaker 1: I guess that will all come out in court today

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Speaker 1: when Button faces the mags, when he does stand in

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Speaker 1: the dock and faces court, so we will hear more evidence.

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Speaker 1: But if that is in fact true, then it's absolutely heartbreaking.

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Speaker 2: Liam, You've been up there. I just can't understand. The

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Speaker 2: bride and groom were originally from Melbourne. There's a lot

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Speaker 2: so you would have family members that are making their

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Speaker 2: way over to from Melbourne just to see if their

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Speaker 2: loved ones are okay. There'd be such emotional scenes up

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Speaker 2: there at the moment.

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Speaker 1: Lamb, Yeah, FIZZI, We've spent a lot of time in

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Speaker 1: different areas in the Hunter Valley, yesterday, was at the

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Speaker 1: hospital yesterday morning, and then I went out to the

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Speaker 1: actual scene where there's now a flower visual being set

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Speaker 1: up as well, and now at the hospital, at the

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Speaker 1: police station rather and you just get a sense of

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Speaker 1: how this is sent shockwaves through so many people. Once

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Speaker 1: you get to one layer, you get to another, the victims,

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Speaker 1: then their families, then the community, the bus company, all

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Speaker 1: of these people. And we know that as you mentioned

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Speaker 1: the couple, they were high school sweethearts. They grew up

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Speaker 1: down there in Victoria, moved to Singleton, which is a

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Speaker 1: regional and we all know what regional communities like. We

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Speaker 1: know how tight knit they are. They lived, they wanted

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Speaker 1: to start a new life in Singleton. Some of these

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Speaker 1: people from Queensland Byron Bay as well, these victims who

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Speaker 1: have been identified by the South Wales Police as well.

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Speaker 1: This is going to last for weeks, months, if not years,

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Speaker 1: this trauma after what was meant to be Mitch and

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Speaker 1: Mattie's most special day.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, the groom is a cricket player. I think they

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Speaker 3: said the guest list involved members of his team. Was

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Speaker 3: that from the area as well or is that Melbourne based?

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Speaker 1: So yeah, that was Warrandy down down there in Victoria.

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Speaker 1: They've confirmed the Mitch with a player cricket player there.

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Speaker 1: He also they've confirmed too that there were members of

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Speaker 1: from the cricket club who were on that bus. So

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Speaker 1: they're just absolutely shattered, you could imagine there. But he

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Speaker 1: is part of the Singleton Roosters, an AFL club up

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Speaker 1: here in the Hunter Valley and a much love I

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Speaker 1: must say from speaking to a few people in the

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Speaker 1: community yesterday, he's a much loved member of that community too,

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Speaker 1: of that football club. Rather, and as I mentioned about

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Speaker 1: the regional communities, we all know how much an important

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Speaker 1: role sporting clubs play in these regional communities, and they're shatted.

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Speaker 1: We saw some pictures from the Roosters club yesterday, we

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Speaker 1: saw some more so some pictures from Warrendit too, and

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Speaker 1: the community was coming together because I guess in these

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Speaker 1: moments no one has any answers, but you have each

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Speaker 1: other and that's what these communities are certainly doing around

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Speaker 1: Mitch and Maddie and those families at the moment.

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Speaker 3: And credit to the police and emergency services. I would

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Speaker 3: imagine it would be your worst nightmare having to arrive

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Speaker 3: at a scene such as that.

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Speaker 1: Absolutely and I must say a few things. I spoke

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Speaker 1: to a police officer who left the Cessminal police station

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Speaker 1: this morning and I just just said, thank you for

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Speaker 1: what you do. And he said, yesterday was one of

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Speaker 1: the most traumatic scenes I've ever been faced with, and

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Speaker 1: he was a seasoned officer. So if it hits someone

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Speaker 1: like that at that hard you kind of get a

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Speaker 1: sense of the size of the tragedy. But also I

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Speaker 1: spoke to a nurse yesterday. I was call it fortunate

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Speaker 1: if you will. It's probably not the right word, but

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Speaker 1: we were outside the hospital at changeover time and that's

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Speaker 1: when the nurses who are on the night shift, that's

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Speaker 1: when they were finished. And just an off hand comment

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Speaker 1: to one of the nurses saying how you're doing, and

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Speaker 1: she said, that was the hardest night of my life

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Speaker 1: and she looked absolutely shat at she'd been crying just

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Speaker 1: to see what she'd seen in that hospital. So, yeah,

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Speaker 1: you think about the families, of course, you think about

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Speaker 1: the community, but those first responders who had to had

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Speaker 1: to be there on the scene yesterday and treat these people,

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Speaker 1: it's just absolutely heartbreaking.

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Speaker 2: Hopefully these families get some more answers today. We know

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Speaker 2: how busy you are Lee and we appreciate your time.

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Speaker 2: Thanks for coming on the show, Buddy.

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Speaker 1: Thanks guys, Thanks Liam.

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Speaker 3: You're listening to The Fitzi and Whipper with Kate Richie

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Speaker 3: podcast