Reveller who died after suspected overdose at Pitch identified as aspiring DJ Antony Maugeri
Tributes have flowed for a 23-year-old man who died after being airlifted to hospital from a Victorian music festival while two other revellers were hospitalised for suspected drug overdoses.
Victoria
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Aspiring DJ Antony Maugeri has been identified as the reveller who died of a suspected overdose after being airlifted to hospital from the Pitch Music and Arts festival.
The 23-year-old man from Niddrie in Melbourne’s northwest died after he was flown from the popular Pitch Music & Arts Festival in Moyston – about 15 km west of Ararat — to The Alfred hospital at 1am on Sunday.
In a heartbreaking tribute, Mr Maugeri’s best mate Andre Srour remembered his friend as the “most loyal and caring human”.
“Losing your best mate is something I never thought I would have to prepare for,” he wrote on social media.
“It’s going to be hard opening my phone and not having a text message from you everyday but I know you will be looking out for me my family and the rest of our friend group from above.”
“I am grateful for all the memories we have made over the years and I will cherish them forever. I love ya Antony rest easy.”
Dozens of friends also paid respect to the former St Bernard’s College student.
“We love you, we will miss you but we will never forget you! Rest in peace!” one friend commented.
“He really was the most loyal friend you could have,” wrote another.
“Gone but never forgotten.”
A Victoria Police spokesperson said a report would be prepared for the coroner.
Two men from the festival remained in stable condition on Monday at the East Grampians Health Service after suspected substance use.
Two further people, a man in his 20s and a man in his 30s, were airlifted from the festival to Geelong Hospital on Sunday night.
In a statement, festival organisers said: “Pitch Music & Arts organisers are deeply saddened to learn this evening that one of our patrons has passed away after being flown to The Alfred hospital in the early hours of Sunday morning.
“Our thoughts are with their family and friends.
“We have our Crowd Care team on site to support patrons and staff, and are committed to providing support services to those who need them.”
It comes as the Allan government faces pressure to crackdown on festival organisers over safety concerns after extreme fire danger.
Attendees returning from the popular Pitch Music and Arts festival on Monday described the event as a “sh-t show”, with dozens of people treated for heat and drug-related medical episodes.
Dozens more were treated on site for heat-related illnesses.
Opposition Leader John Pesutto said the state government should have ordered the festival to shut down when dangerous fire warnings were first issued.
“This was a disaster waiting to happen,” he said.
“We need a better system for mitigating the risks and making sure that festival organisers are not going to put young people and anyone else attending these festivals in harm’s way.”
Mr Pesutto accused the government of “hiding” after it refused to hold a press conference due to the public holiday.
“For Jacinta Allan and her government to hide when important issues need to be addressed speaks volumes about the government and its lack of commitment to transparency,” he said.
He said the tragic suspected overdose of an attendee did not change the opposition’s position against pill testing.
“We need to do better at education,” Mr Pesutto said.
“We think that the government does need to implement and invest more resources in better alert systems, imposing stricter obligations on the hosts of major festivals like this so there’s more compliance, more enforcement and more awareness about what’s going on.”
Deputy CFA boss Brett Boatman said festival organisers had followed advice, including a request from authorities to cancel the festival on Sunday.
But he noted their communication failed to cut through, with more than 15,000 patrons at the site on Saturday morning – and 17,000 overall.
“It’s reasonable to say that the messaging wasn’t adhered to,” he said.
A routine review into the event by emergency services will take place in the coming weeks.
A government spokeswoman said it had limited powers to stop people from turning up or cancelling the event, but said events could be shut down based on CFA advice.
Meanwhile, attendees returning home from the event have described mass chaos and confusion about whether to leave the event.
The festival, which was due to run until Monday night, was cut short on Sunday afternoon, hours after the Niddrie man’s death.
On Monday, Victorian Greens drug harm reduction spokesman Aiv Puglielli said the death could have been prevented if the Victorian government had implemented pill testing.
“It is devastating to hear about a young life being lost over the weekend while the new Premier sits idle,” he said.
“Pill testing services play a crucial role in preventing this tragic loss of life.”
He noted Premier Jacinta Allan had recently indicated that the government was considering introducing pill testing.
Mr Puglielli said the practice needed to be established on-site at music festivals “as a matter of urgency”.
“Even with pure MDMA we’ve seen how extreme heat can deal a deadly blow,” he said.
“So with untested drugs circulating, this was truly a disaster waiting to happen.”
Earlier this year nine revellers – aged in their teens and 20s – overdosed on MDMA at the Hardmission Festival held at Flemington Racecourse, with eight of them put into an induced coma sparking widespread calls for pill testing.
Pitch revellers ‘scared’ as festival continued
Pitch organisers announced on Sunday that they would cancel the rest of the event after the fire danger warning was upgraded to “extreme” for Monday.
They had been criticised earlier in the weekend for continuing the festival despite fire authorities advising revellers to leave amid high-risk conditions.
“Through consultation with authorities, we have been directed to cancel the remainder of Pitch Music & Arts 2024 in light of an updated extreme fire danger warning issued this afternoon for tomorrow,” a Pitch spokesperson said on Sunday.
“We have consistently followed the guidance of relevant authorities throughout the entire process.
“We encourage everyone on site not to rush, calmly pack-up and depart either (Sunday) evening or early (Monday).
“For those who have travelled in their own vehicle, please ensure you have a sober and rested driver.”
A total fire ban and extreme fire danger warning has been issued for the South West district – where the festival site was located – for Monday
Organisers said they were still working through what to do about ticket refunds.
Speaking to the Herald Sun prior to Pitch’s cancellation, Jack Summerfield said he and his mates were left “scared, confused and annoyed at lack of proper guidance and direction from Pitch” on Friday night.
“We only saw the sign at around 11pm telling us to leave either tonight or tomorrow morning, but had no car, bus or any other way of possibly getting out at the time,” he said.
“My girlfriend was in tears.”
Despite warnings from the Country Fire Authority and mass outrage online, organisers on Saturday afternoon had said the event would continue.
“Following the update which was provided yesterday, and after consultation this morning with CFA, Victoria Police and other members of the Emergency Management teams, Pitch Music and Arts music programming will commence at 6pm today (Saturday) and will continue as schedule for the remainder of the event,” the update read.
“At the time of writing there are no active fires in the region and we wish to reassure you that those who are on site have access to ample shade, cooling misting fans, food and water.”
A Pitch spokesman told the Herald Sun several precautions had been put in place to handle the extreme weather.
“Friends and family of Pitch Festival, we understand many of you are experiencing difficulty contacting patrons due in part to a lack of phone service in the area,” the spokesman said.
“We have various methods to communicate essential information across the festival site, including information screens, info hubs, helper hubs, and roaming staff. Free Wi-Fi is available at the box office and at food trucks/market stalls for patrons wanting to contact friends or family not on site.”
Concerned parents were unable to contact their children due to poor coverage at the site, which located at the foot of the Grampians.
Others have resorted to driving out to the festival grounds to pick up their kids.
Melbourne mother Nuala, who is begging her 22-year-old son to come home, told the Herald Sun the festival’s decision to forge ahead was “absolutely shocking”.
“I just think it’s the most irresponsible thing. They’re putting kids at risk,” she said.
“I just feel like the communication is terrible from Pitch.”
She noted that many attendees were “21, 22-years-old” and were unlikely to leave “unless they’re told to leave”.
“Once a fire starts, imagine trying to get all of those kids out,” she said.
The festival’s social media pages have been flooded with requests for refunds, with attendees who have decided to follow CFA advice and stay away concerned they may lose hundreds of dollars.
Ticket prices range from $449 for two days to $499 for four days.
“Regarding refund inquires, we appreciate your patience as we work through the specifics,” organisers advised on Saturday.
“Rest assured, ticket holders will receive an update as more information becomes available.”
As busloads of people streamed into the festival on Friday afternoon, organisers warned attendees the safest option was “to leave the site tonight”.
“CFA have advised an extreme weather forecast and a Total Fire Ban for Pitch Music & Arts on Saturday 09/03/2024,” a statement read.
“The CFA recommends that the safest option for those who are already on site is to leave the site tonight, or early in the morning.”
But the statement, which was released after the first of approximately 18,000 attendees had set up camp, was quickly slammed online by angry ticket holders who questioned why the festival was not cancelled earlier in the week.
“Strongly advising people not to come but keeping the festival open despite the warnings that have been present throughout the week is not good enough,” one commenter wrote.
“If money and reputational damage wasn’t at stake here then the organisers would have cancelled the event.”
Another wrote: “You have had days of warnings for fire bans especially with the fires already in the area, stop trying got save your own asses and put everyone at risk”.
Festival goers were warned if they chose to stay they must be “prepared for a severe heatwave over the entirety of the weekend”.
Temperatures were expected to reach 37 degrees in Moyston on Saturday and 39 degrees on Sunday.
The warnings come just two weeks after fires burned through more than 14,000ha near Ballarat, destroying half a dozen homes and forcing hundreds to flee their properties.
Lowan MP Emma Kealy said Pitch organisers have “shown flagrant disregard” for the CFA, Police, the local Council and festival goers.
“CFA volunteers have been flat-out for three weeks fighting fires,” she said.
“The last thing they need on an extreme fire day is to be fighting Pitch Festival organisers and begging them to take responsibility for the health and safety of their patrons.”
Ms Kealy said organisers should have pulled the plug when they were first alerted to the extreme heat and fire warnings.
“Any responsible business would have cancelled a week ago when the CFA first warned them, but there is no accountability on festival organisers in Victoria to put the safety of their patrons first,” she said.
“It’s a disaster waiting to happen.”
On Friday, Victoria Police said they would “have a highly visible presence” at the Pitch Music and Arts Festival in Moyston over the long weekend.
Booze and drug buses will also be present on “major arterials and back roads before, during and after the festival”.
Music event safety organisation DanceWize will have a medical tent set up at the festival, with a medical team available 24/7.
DanceWize Coordinator Nick Wallis from Harm Reduction Victoria reminded festival goers about the risk of drug taking, particularly in the heat.
Reflecting on January’s mass drug overdose at an electronic music festival in Melbourne, Mr Wallis said “large doses of MDMA or other stimulants, or re-dosing alongside the heat and dehydration are a bad combination”.
Another major music festival, Golden Plains, which is being held near Meredith this weekend, is also forging ahead despite an Extreme Fire Danger Rating.
The Esoteric Music festival in Donald is facing a High Fire Danger Rating but as of 1pm on Saturday it had not been issued a Total Fire Ban alert.
Severe heatwave alert upgraded to ‘extreme’
A ‘severe’ heatwave alert was upgraded to ‘extreme’ in parts of Victoria ahead of the long weekend.
The Bureau of Meteorology updated their alert on Friday afternoon, and revised Saturday’s heatwave to ‘extreme’ in parts of South Gippsland, with most of the lower districts – including Melbourne – forecast as severe.
Authorities have also issued a total fire ban for Saturday in the Wimmera, West and South Gippsland, North Central, Central and South West districts with the latter two rated as “extreme fire danger”.
“Hot and dry conditions coupled with fresh and gusty north to north westerly winds will drive elevated fire dangers on Saturday,” the Country Fire Authority alert said.
The Bureau of Meteorology is warning people to expect maximum temperatures in the “high thirties and low forties” across most of Victoria – including Melbourne – from Saturday.
“Severe heatwave conditions are expected to peak across the long weekend with a prolonged run of heat,” the alert said.
Melbourne is tipped to reach 39C on Saturday, followed by two days in a row where the mercury will hit 38C.
But the bureau expects a cooler maximum temperature of 26 by Tuesday, when a “trough … should bring relief from the south”.
The weekend’s sizzling forecast prompted a “heat health warning” from the health department, who warned the continued hot temperatures “could affect anyone”.
“Older people, people with a pre-existing medical condition, pregnant women and young children and babies are most at risk,” a department alert said.
“Individuals and communities should also prepare for the heat.”
The alert advised people to drink plenty of water, seek shade and airconditioned areas, check-in on others and to “never leave kids, adults or pets in cars”.
“The temperature inside a parked car can double within minutes,” the alert said.
The soaring temperatures also prompted a warning from the department about taking party drugs at festivals this weekend.
“Remember alcohol & drug use comes with risks — especially in hot weather,” the department tweeted.
It comes after a mass overdose at Hardmission Festival earlier this year, which saw multiple partygoers rushed to hospital in a critical condition after taking high doses of MDMA — tainted with other drugs in some cases – in “sweltering” conditions.
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