At lunch time last Friday, Peter John Boyle posted a message on his son’s facebook page saying “family is a little worried, can someone please find Will”. William Boyle had last been seen the night before enjoying drinks with friends at the Australian National University’s Oktoberfest event.
By Sunday, a father’s worst fears had been confirmed when 21-year-old Boyle’s body was pulled from the waters of Lake Burley Griffin. His keys, wallet and shorts were located on the lake’s shores. ACT Police have stated there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding the death, it was the tragic toll of misadventure.
Tributes to the University of Canberra student paint ‘Boyles’ as a gregarious, popular young man.
He loved skiing, played and refereed rugby and worked part-time in the Parliament House café. He’d done a stint in Canada after finishing school and scores of friends on the other side of the world have joined in mourning his death.
While William Boyle’s family, friends and colleagues grieve, the ANU should be asking a few questions about the Oktoberfest event. Even before news of this tragic death came to light, there was talk of just how out of control last Thursday’s events had become.
Arriving just after 4pm, I encountered a friend stumbling around the Teatro Vivaldi’s forecourt. Clearly inebriated, he marveled that he’d just shoved a ten-dollar note on the bar and asked how many beers he could get. He was given three. Now, barely able to hold them, he slugged them back in the unusually warm October sun. Hundreds did likewise. As I walked through Union Court an hour later, I passed a group of girls in school dresses as they entered the ANU Bar. Witnesses have reported that even people in school uniform, costume or not, were being served alcohol. Further down University Avenue, a burly-framed punter clutched a stein and vomited on all fours outside Melville Hall. He was a mess.
Displays like this must raise questions about the extent to which alcohol was being served responsibly and according to ACT laws at Oktoberfest. My friend shouldn’t have been able to buy one beer, let alone three. Alleged serving of under-agers is of even greater concern. Creating a situation where people are literally crawling home is downright irresponsible.
When asked for comment, ANU Bar Manager Suranga said that bar staff were reminded that “if people presented to the bar intoxicated, they’d be cut-off immediately”. He said that internal security staff were increased to 20, in addition to the ANU’s usual security presence in the area. Was it enough? Suranga concedes one flaw in the crowd control arrangements. The event was an open one, with people coming and going without ID checks and no ability for staff to effectively eject someone for unruly behaviour. “It’s hard to control people’s intoxication when even if they’re barred, they can get mates to buy drinks for them. We weren’t asking anyone to leave the premises.”
The open nature of the event left bar staff to assume that anyone at the bar was over 18 when serving them alcohol. If minors were served as has been alleged, then the law was broken. Suranga denies that this occured, adding “my staff won’t serve anyone in uniform”.
There should be a full investigation into how this year’s Oktoberfest was run. In my opinion, it would reveal that the guidelines that underpin large events on campus need to be reconsidered. Last week the combination of the festive ‘drink until you drop’ culture of Oktoberfest, warm conditions and limited food outlets on campus after 4pm led to an unbridled drinking frenzy for a large crowd, and had tragic consequences for one.
