WA man awarded honorary degree for his role in Thailand cave rescue

By Ryan Johnson

 

Dr Craig Challen. Photo: Murdoch University

 

A Perth vet has been awarded an honorary degree by Murdoch University for his role in the rescue of 12 children and their soccer coach who were trapped in a flooded Thailand cave.

 

Dr Craig Challen was at the centre of the rescue in July and received his honorary degree at a graduation ceremony at RAC Arena on Tuesday night.

 

Dr Challen and his diving friend – Adelaide anaesthetist Richard Harris – put their cave diving holiday to the Nullarbor on hold and flew out to become part of the rescue operation in Thailand.

 

The friends had input into the rescue plan and Dr Challen helped take the boys and their coach from the platform where they were discovered, to a dry section of the cave before passing them to the next group of cave divers.

 

Full story: https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/western-australia/wa-man-awarded-honorary-degree-for-his-role-in-thailand-cave-rescue-20180919-p504tf.html

 

-- Brisbane Times 2018-2018-09-20

Well deserved. Shrimp on the barbie for life, mate! 8-)

I hope the UK team get similar rewards for what they did here, helping out internationally in this kind of way is a very big thing which transcends official diplomacy.

 

What they all managed to do in extremely difficult circumstances is unprecedented.

Well done and it is interesting that a well deserved award for this Australian, by an Australian institution, is in sharp contrast to the approach of the Thai government by providing them with effectively a monetary gain by giving some of the rescuers Thai Elite membership for free, because they think money is the main motivator.  Well it may be for them but  I am sure all of those rescuers to a man did it to help people and recognition of their invaluable efforts was a sufficient reward in itself.

56 minutes ago, Esso49 said:

Well done and it is interesting that a well deserved award for this Australian, by an Australian institution, is in sharp contrast to the approach of the Thai government by providing them with effectively a monetary gain by giving some of the rescuers Thai Elite membership for free, because they think money is the main motivator.  Well it may be for them but  I am sure all of those rescuers to a man did it to help people and recognition of their invaluable efforts was a sufficient reward in itself.

From memory, that was an elite card only valid for a few years anyway, plus a free ride to the airport on the way out. 

1 hour ago, Esso49 said:

Well done and it is interesting that a well deserved award for this Australian, by an Australian institution, is in sharp contrast to the approach of the Thai government by providing them with effectively a monetary gain by giving some of the rescuers Thai Elite membership for free, because they think money is the main motivator.  Well it may be for them but  I am sure all of those rescuers to a man did it to help people and recognition of their invaluable efforts was a sufficient reward in itself.

an elite card, a certificate of appreciation and i think even a 2 week holiday all expenses paid was mentioned plus a grand party was had for all involved. not sure what else you want Thailand to give them? not sure many would be overly interested in an honorary degree from a Thai uni. I think the Thais have shown a lot of gratitude to those that were involved

Edited September 20, 20187 yr by Happy enough

1 hour ago, Esso49 said:

Well done and it is interesting that a well deserved award for this Australian, by an Australian institution, is in sharp contrast to the approach of the Thai government by providing them with effectively a monetary gain by giving some of the rescuers Thai Elite membership for free, because they think money is the main motivator.  Well it may be for them but  I am sure all of those rescuers to a man did it to help people and recognition of their invaluable efforts was a sufficient reward in itself.

I certainly would look at this award, just what honary degree did Murdock Uni give Dr Challen, he already has a degree in vetainary science

31 minutes ago, chainarong said:

I certainly would look at this award, just what honary degree did Murdock Uni give Dr Challen, he already has a degree in vetainary science

Call Dr Challen and maybe he will let you see it. Honestly though, why does it matter to you so much as to what honorary degree he got? 

Well done Murdoch Uni and the Ozzie’s for recognising a genuine hero. 

4 hours ago, webfact said:

WA man awarded honorary degree for his role in Thailand cave rescue

Eton Musk might have something disparaging to say about this given he is in a state of emotional meltdown following the rejection of his cave submarine.

Well done for your award for helping to save these children in such a dangerous situation. It makes me proud to be an Australian when I read the amazing effort dedicated in  saving these boys. I was a coal miner in Australia for over 20 years so I understand the danger confronting  you and the rest of the team.   What makes this special it is a Good Feeling Story for Australians all around the world.

Waiting for a comment from Sir Musk...

2 hours ago, Happy enough said:

an elite card, a certificate of appreciation and i think even a 2 week holiday all expenses paid was mentioned plus a grand party was had for all involved. not sure what else you want Thailand to give them? not sure many would be overly interested in an honorary degree from a Thai uni. I think the Thais have shown a lot of gratitude to those that were involved

It seems that the point I made has gone completely over your head and you consider that monetary gain is the be all and end all.

Edited September 20, 20187 yr by Esso49

It should be pointed out that Murdoch University is not named after Humble Rupert. It was named after a leading educator (Sir) Walter Murdoch.

7 minutes ago, Esso49 said:

It seems that the point I made has gone completely over your head and you consider that monetary gain is the be all and end all.

it seems my post has gone over your head. there is no monetary gain for most of the foreign rescuers from an elite visa as highly unlikely to benefit them so it was a gesture of good will and appreciation as was the party thrown for them, the medals from the king, paintings and other certificates of appreciation. the holiday just a bonus to say next time please come back to see us again and this time please have a nice holiday on us. what monetary gain are you talking about and where do you see the thais didn't show enough appreciation?

The cave rescue was a brilliant yet dangerous maneuver that required...

the utmost competence. The recognition of that fact was evidenced by 

Thai officialdom without hesitation. This is to their credit and they supported 

this recognition throughout the ordeal. Every conceivable obstacle to a successful conclusion needed to be evaluated and surmounted and at every 

turn competence ruled over every decision.  Likewise, recognition of that 

competence has been acclaimed by the Nation, it’s people, it’s leadership, and

Elon Musk withstanding, every sane and rational person who in one form or

another witnessed the drama concurs.  

3 hours ago, Cadbury said:

Eton Musk might have something disparaging to say about this given he is in a state of emotional meltdown following the rejection of his cave submarine.

His cave submarine was never rejected, there just wasn't enough time to modify it so it could be used. He had the expertise and unlimited facilities to do this. Had there been sufficient time, it would have been a much safer method of rescuing the children. I wonder how everyone would have reacted if there had been additional time and he had rescued the cave boys.

It seems that you and a lot of other posters have dislike for wealthy and successful people. It was not a PR stunt on his behalf. He is in the news every day anyway. He is the pioneer for the self drive car which will save millions of lives. I think it was very admirable that he took time off and spent a lot of money to try and help the  cave boys

5 minutes ago, gamini said:

His cave submarine was never rejected, there just wasn't enough time to modify it so it could be used. He had the expertise and unlimited facilities to do this. Had there been sufficient time, it would have been a much safer method of rescuing the children. I wonder how everyone would have reacted if there had been additional time and he had rescued the cave boys.

It seems that you and a lot of other posters have dislike for wealthy and successful people. It was not a PR stunt on his behalf. He is in the news every day anyway. He is the pioneer for the self drive car which will save millions of lives. I think it was very admirable that he took time off and spent a lot of money to try and help the  cave boys

As I understand the submarine was inflexible and maneuverability was a problem in navigating the bends in the cave. Time did not allow for modifications.

Yes he is in the news every day lately, for all the wrong reasons. Your'e obviously not up with the latest. Read these stories and you will learn something. 

https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-challenges-in-2018-2018-4

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/elon-musk-tesla-doj-criminal-probe-tweet_us_5ba12148e4b013b0977f8b55

 

6 hours ago, Happy enough said:

an elite card, a certificate of appreciation and i think even a 2 week holiday all expenses paid was mentioned plus a grand party was had for all involved. not sure what else you want Thailand to give them? not sure many would be overly interested in an honorary degree from a Thai uni. I think the Thais have shown a lot of gratitude to those that were involved

well said.   but there's always gonna be posters that look for the negative.   you know who you are  ?

Hope if any cash the Brit may win is given to all involved.⚖️


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On 9/20/2018 at 8:38 AM, Esso49 said:

Well done and it is interesting that a well deserved award for this Australian, by an Australian institution, is in sharp contrast to the approach of the Thai government by providing them with effectively a monetary gain by giving some of the rescuers Thai Elite membership for free, because they think money is the main motivator.  Well it may be for them but  I am sure all of those rescuers to a man did it to help people and recognition of their invaluable efforts was a sufficient reward in itself.

Maybe the thai government knew that an honorable degree from a thai university do not go far in the international arena so they gave the next best thing they have.  monetary award... 

24 minutes ago, Ctkong said:

Maybe the thai government knew that an honorable degree from a thai university do not go far in the international arena so they gave the next best thing they have.  monetary award... 

Monetary, Bt100 gift voucher for 7/11, yep. a fantastic reward. 

On 9/20/2018 at 7:38 AM, Esso49 said:

Well done and it is interesting that a well deserved award for this Australian, by an Australian institution, is in sharp contrast to the approach of the Thai government by providing them with effectively a monetary gain by giving some of the rescuers Thai Elite membership for free, because they think money is the main motivator.  Well it may be for them but  I am sure all of those rescuers to a man did it to help people and recognition of their invaluable efforts was a sufficient reward in itself.

Your drivel only makes sense if they offered these rewards BEFORE the divers offered to help. Since they didn't, it is BS to refer to the rewards as a type of "motivator". Or perhaps you don't know the meaning of the word?

9 minutes ago, SABloke said:

Your drivel only makes sense if they offered these rewards BEFORE the divers offered to help. Since they didn't, it is BS to refer to the rewards as a type of "motivator". Or perhaps you don't know the meaning of the word?

I wouldn't talk about drivel, as "motivator" is ok if you read it in the overall context of the post and not in isolation.

It is very clear, that the meaning was to convey the sense that many Thai's think money is more important than anything else.