www.ntnews.com.au Saturday, July 13, 2013. NT NEWS. 3 PUB: NT NE- WS- DA TE: 13-J GE: 3 C LO- R: C M Y K %5B8@CF8G :HKDYHFRUSRUDWHWHQDQWVZDLWLQJ WROHDVH\RXUSURSHUW\ ,I\RXKDYHDTXDOLW\SURSHUW\ORFDWHGLQWKH &%'SOHDVHFRQWDFWRXURI¿FH :HRIIHUKLJKO\FRPSHWLWLYHPDQDJHPHQW IHHVDQGSURIHVVLRQDODGYLFH /LFHQVHG5HDO(VWDWH$JHQWV SP#DOOLDQFHUHDOW\FRPDX 0LWFKHOO6WUHHW/DUUDNH\DK17 Chief Minister’s Cup Kids Paradise & Parents Heaven www.darwinturfclub.org.au 8923 4222 10am Gates Open 1pm Horse Racing & Kids Activities Supersized Croc Jumping Castle & ‘Life. Be In It’ Activity Hub PLUS – one lucky family will Win a Family Pass to Crocosaurus Cove FREE Entry for Kids under 18 years old Split System Installation Course Darwin 19 - 21 August s &ORPLUMBERSELECTRICIANSBUILDINGMECHANICALTRADES APPRENTICES s /NCOMPLETIONREFRIGERANTHANDLINGLICENCECANBE OBTAINED sTOTALCOST Solar Grid Connect Design and Install Course Darwin 23 -26 August s&ORLICENSEDELECTRICIANS s%NABLES#LEAN%NERGY#OUNCILACCREDITATION s#OURSEMATERIALSANDSTANDARDS sTOTALCOST Appliance Test and Tag Course Darwin 22 August sDAYCOURSENOELECTRICALQUALIlCATIONSREQUIRED s 3UITSBUILDERSMAINTENANCESTAFFANDPEOPLEWANTINGTO STARTTHEIROWNSMALLBUSINESS s 2ECOGNISEDNATIONALLYASTHEREQUIREMENTTODOTESTING ANDTAGGINGSAFETYSWITCHTESTING s4OTALCOSTINCLUDES3TANDARD For enrolment info visit - www.skillbuildtraining.com.au Ph Jo Hammond - 1800 059 170 Training Courses ntnews.com.au l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l NEWS NT speed limits saved lives Surgeons warn on road safety ‘madness’ By Nicole Mills ABOUT 10 lives were saved each year on Territory roads after open speed limits were abolished, The Royal Austral- asian College of Surgeons trauma committee found. NT representative Dr David Read said capping speed limits at 130km/h had significantly reduced deaths. He said in the five years leading up to the introduction of capped speed limits in 2007, 153 people died on Territory roads while travelling at more than 100km/h. In the five years after 2007, that number dropped to 105. ‘‘In effect therefore, the law which implemented speed li- mits has saved nearly 10 lives per year,’’ he said. Dr Read said the College of Surgeons had renewed their calls for the NT Government to backflip on its ‘‘utterly irre- sponsible’’ plan to reintro- duce open speed limits. ‘‘Given there is no compel- ling reason to proceed with this proposal, it seems mad- ness to invite 10 people a year to kill themselves, leaving devastated family and friends behind,’’ he said. However, the research did not specify whether the deaths at over 100km/h were caused by speed or other fac- tors such as not wearing seatbelts or alcohol. Chief Minister Adam Giles said the NT Government was using an ‘‘evidence based ap- proach’’ to its review of speed limits on major highways. ‘‘The Government has al- ready announced its decision on the Arnhem Highway where speed limits are being reduced,’’ he said. It was still considering its position on the Stuart, Vic- toria and Barkly highways. Just last week the AANT re- leased a report that found 61 per cent of the NT’s nat- ional highway network ach- ieved a one or two star safety rating out of a possible five. AANT general manager Edon Bell said it was a ‘‘dam- ning’’ report and urged the Government not to increase speed limits until the road conditions were improved. Ayla and Toby Wharton with three-month-old daughter Polly are ready for the Darwin to Dili race Picture: DANIEL HARTLEY-ALLEN Race will be child’s play for this bub POLLY Wharton must be the youngest-ever entrant in an international ocean yacht race. At three months old, she probably won’t remember the time she set sail in Dar- win and raced across the seas with her parents Toby and Ayla, and grandparents Bo and Lindsey aboard 14m Mango Madness in the Dar- win to Dili race which starts on Fannie Bay at 10am today. Polly, from Fannie Bay, is one of 60 crew aboard 10 yachts making the 780km journey to East Timor — and she could be up for a share in the $15,000 prizemoney among the three divisions. The 2012 winner, John Mul- kearns’ Game Set, will battle it out with Dr Jon Wardill’s Australian Maid. The current record is 76.9 hours set by Mojo 3 last year. Launceston-registered Skye Melody, has loaded more than a tonne of donated medi- cal and educational supplies for distribution to needy com- munities through Timor- Leste and Indonesia. Ideal viewing spots for the race start will be Darwin Sail- ing Club Bar, East Point, or Darwin High School. The rally is the fourth mod- ern edition after it was resur- rected in 2010. Troubles across the Timor Sea left it in a 36-year hiatus after two successful jaunts in 1973 and 1974. Kids take car on 1500km joyride By CONOR BYRNE A SERVICE station owner has said a bunch of joyrider kids who drove a car almost 1500km would have re- mained undetected if they paid him for petrol. The four boys and one girl, aged between 14 and 18, allegedly broke into a home on Lorna Lim Tce in Driver, Palmerston, stole a Daewoo Nabira on Wednesday and drove it to Alice Springs, where the law caught them. Tennant Creek Service Station owner Ken Smith said one of his employees rang the police when the red car pulled off without pay- ing about 4pm on Thursday. ‘‘The silly buggers jum- ped in the car and sped off,’’ he said. ‘‘It’s silly people — they steal cars and drive away and if they don’t pay for fuel they get caught.’’ The police in Ti Tree, which is between Tennant and Alice, failed to catch the outlaws after a chase. Detective Superintendent Brent Warren said: ‘‘Police in Ti Tree attempted to ap- prehend the stolen vehicle as it travelled south towards Alice Springs but the driver disregarded police direct- ions to stop, drove on the wrong side of the road and continued heading south.’’ Five have been charged and police are searching for a 16-year-old male.