Bad Ground: Inside the Beaconsfield Mine Rescue
by Tony Wright
Bad Ground, the unforgettable story of the rescue of Beaconsfield miners Brant Webb and Todd Russell, will set a new
standard for its genre when released in New Zealand on 7 November 2006, by HarperCollins Publishers.
The book is written by multi-award winning journalist Tony Wright, the national affairs editor of The Bulletin, who had
exclusive access to Webb and Russell, as well as their families, friends and rescuers. In the style of a perfectly paced
psychological thriller, Wright has written a compelling account that will transfix readers from page one and stay with
them long after they've read the final paragraph.
Wright was uniquely positioned to write this story in all its dimensions. While the community drew together to protect
its own from the prying eyes and cameras of most of the media during the crises, he was quickly identified as an
exception and welcomed.
The enthralling, often spine-chilling narrative begins with a masterfully rendered portrait of the small Tasmanian
mining township in which the drama unfolded, a township that was going through the last of its Anzac Day rituals as
disaster struck, killing Larry Knight and entombing Brant Webb and Todd Russell.
Russell and Webb, who were wary colleagues before becoming trapped in the cramped and crushed remains of a cage, share
explicit details of their 14-day ordeal. They give an uncensored account of the darkest first five days during which
little hope was held of finding them, dead or alive. They then tell of the profoundly changed world they rejoined when
rescued, miraculously, via the tunnel that also served as their lifeline for nine days.
Bad Ground is also the emotionally charged story of the miners' wives and families how each dealt with the confusion and
despair, refused to give up hope and never stopped believing. It is equally the story of those who worked desperately
against the clock and against all odds to reach the men below, and of the community who held vigil.
Ends