00:00 The tragic end to a search for a true territory cattleman.
00:06 He really was the barefoot beating heart of the Sturt Plateau and it's going to leave
00:10 a fair bit of a hole with him gone.
00:13 59-year-old Mike Harding found dead after a helicopter crash which sparked a two-day
00:18 search in remote pastoral land.
00:21 The long-term owner of Gorry Station, south-east of Catherine, went missing late Thursday night
00:26 when his Robinson 22 helicopter didn't arrive home as scheduled.
00:30 It sparked a large-scale aerial search involving several aircraft.
00:35 The wreckage, discovered on the station Saturday evening, along with Mr Harding, confirmed
00:40 dead at the scene.
00:42 Just the difficulty we had in finding Mike was just testament to just how remote and
00:50 how dangerous this country can be when something goes wrong.
00:54 The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is investigating the cause of the crash and Northern
00:58 Territory Police are preparing a report for the coroner.
01:01 Mr Harding's loss will be felt throughout the region, including Mataranka, the tight-knit
01:06 town where he was named Citizen of the Year in 2022.
01:10 He was an incredibly intelligent man.
01:12 He had friends across the globe.
01:15 I'm shocked to hear this.
01:17 I'm sorry this sort of thing that happened.
01:19 So tragic this time of year with Christmas and no one wants to go through this.
01:23 So just send our thoughts and prayers to the family and the pastoral industry of this loss.
01:29 An immeasurable loss for all those who loved him.
01:31 [BLANK_AUDIO]
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