Music fan found dead at festival

Paul Anderson
Herald Sun, Melbourne
March 13, 2007 12:00am


A YOUNG medical student has died at a country music festival after an apparent booze binge at the Golden Plains Festival in Meredith.The student, 21, of Prahran, was found dead in his tent at about 8am yesterday.
He died in his sleep as a friend slept beside him.
Police were awaiting autopsy results yesterday, but sources said the young man may have choked on his own vomit as he slept.
The death is not being treated as suspicious.
Paramedics at the inaugural long weekend music festival worked for half an hour to try to save the man, who had a cardiac arrest, said Rural Ambulance Victoria spokesman John Mullen.
The man was a medical student who was doing rounds at Melbourne hospitals as an intern.
News of the death spread through the scores of groups preparing to pack up as the festival wound up about noon yesterday.
Police are preparing a brief for the coroner.
A day earlier, five people were treated in hospital after a car crash near the festival.
One woman, 32, was flown to the Alfred hospital with spinal injuries.
Other patients with neck, head and leg injuries were taken to Ballarat and Geelong hospitals.
Unconfirmed reports suggested one of the
cars had been driven from the festival just before the collision.
Other music festivals experienced troubles at the weekend.
Police at the four-day Port Fairy Folk Festival broke up a scuffle between several young men as a large crowd urged them to fight.
Two men, both 21, were in hospital after they were stabbed during a brawl at the Future Music Festival at Sidney Myer Music Bowl on Sunday night.
One had surgery for seven stab wounds, but police said the injuries were not life threatening.
A Broadmeadows man, 21, was helping police with their inquiries.
The stabbings followed the arrest of 36 festival-goers on suspected drug offences.
Event organiser Future Entertainment said in a statement: "We are shocked and saddened that a needless violent incident like this could occur at one of our events.
"Our primary concern is for the wellbeing of the young men injured, and our thoughts go out to them and their families.
"We work very closely with Victoria Police and fully support their PAD (drug dog) operation, which resulted in arrests outside the venue.
"We are still working with police, medical staff and security to ascertain all the facts surrounding this (stabbing) incident."