The search for a box containing the cremated remains of a stillborn baby began with 10 tonnes of garbage in a cordoned-off area at Wollert landfill.
The first lot of waste was dumped on the ground for SES volunteers, Hanson Landfill Services and Tobin Brothers staff to do a line search using garden rakes to sift through the detritus.
Once that pile of garbage had been scoured for the little cardboard box – accidentally thrown out with the trash by a Tobin Brothers staff member – the exercise was repeated … about 150 times.
A rotating army of staff and volunteers spent eight days scouring piles of rotting food scraps, milk cartons and printer cartridges without sighting the box.
To recognise their efforts, Whittlesea local area commander Inspector Bob Dykstra last week awarded SES volunteers and Hanson Landfill Services staff a group citation award for their “tireless and dedicated work”.
“The planning and execution of the operation could not have occurred without the expert site knowledge and contribution of you and your staff,” Inspector Dykstra said to operations manager Harry Taylor, of Hanson Landfill Services.
“Over eight days, some 1500 tonnes of waste was excavated, transported and spread to enable a thorough search by hand. Your staff were skilled and respectful of the sensitivities of the operation,” he said.
Mr Taylor said it was not the first time he had co-ordinated a search operation. The previous time was for a “very large cache of jewellery” 20 years ago, which was later exposed as attempted insurance fraud.
He said searchers were “profoundly moved by the plight of this couple”.
Whittlesea SES unit controller Gary Doorbar said 69 SES members from eight brigades were involved in the search.
“We thought if we searched the whole lot we would find it, but there were so many variables. It was emotionally and physically tolling.”
