Burntwood couple save aborigines stranded in outback

A Staffordshire couple came to the rescue of a family of Aborigines they found stranded in the Australian outback 90 miles from the nearest settlement.

Robert and Amanda Griffiths were driving from Ayers Rock back to Perth on a desert road when they came across the family of four.

Their vehicle had broken down and run out of diesel, and they had already started dehydrating. The track was so isolated that it could have been days before they were discovered.

But the couple, from Huntsman's Gate, Burntwood, who were on holiday Down Under, were able to given them water and fuel. They then tow-started the group's vehicle and helped them back on to the road to safety.

Mr and Mrs Griffiths were visiting their geologist son Alex and decided to make the potentially dangerous visit to Ayers Rock.

They bought a 4x4 car for the 1,200 mile trip to Ularu, the Aboriginal name for the rock, and back to Perth in Western Australia where 26-year-old Alex has lived for three years. More than 600 miles of the journey was on dirt roads and four-wheel drive tracks.

Alex said: "My parents were able to effectively rescue the group. It is ironic that these two 'poms' may well have saved the lives of four Aboriginals."

His 59-year-old father modestly said he thought if they had not been there then another car would soon have come to their aid.

"We assisted them by sharing some of our emergency fuel supply," said Robert, a retired county council outdoor education officer.