By Lachlan Abbott and Rachel Eddie
The family friend of a Melbourne man who died after becoming unresponsive at a music festival is dismayed the weekend event went ahead despite soaring temperatures and extreme fire risk warnings.
Antony Maugeri, a 23-year-old from Niddrie, became unresponsive just after 1am on Sunday at the Pitch Music Arts Festival in Mafeking, near the Grampians in Victoria’s west.
Niddrie man Antony Maugeri, 23, died after becoming unresponsive at the Pitch Music and Arts Festival.Credit: Instagram
Victoria Police said he was airlifted to hospital but later died at The Alfred.
Ambulance Victoria said five festival-goers, including Maugeri, were taken to hospital because of suspected substance use at the festival near Ararat, where temperatures reached 37 degrees on Saturday and a total fire ban had been issued.
A family spokesman, Simon Eid, questioned why the music festival proceeded, with about 18,000 expected attendees, despite the Country Fire Authority telling people to stay away and other events – like the Moomba parade – being cancelled due to the heat.
“How many lives do you put at risk!” Eid wrote in a text message. He added that Maugeri’s cause of death was yet to be confirmed.
Maugeri’s immediate family were too distressed to comment on Monday, Eid told The Age via the phone of the aspiring DJ’s father.
Pitch was ultimately called off on Sunday, with thousands scrambling to leave the bushland site amid another total fire ban in the south-west on Monday.
On Sunday night, festival organisers posted on social media they were “deeply saddened to learn this evening that one of our People of Pitch has passed away”.
“Our thoughts are with their family, friends and anyone in our wider community affected by this.”
A friend of Maugeri posted a tribute on social media, calling him their best friend.
“My life will never be the same. I will think about you every hour of my days. I will never let go of you,” the friend said on Instagram. “Rest easy sweet boy.”
On Saturday, ticket-holders and concerned family of attendees slammed the Pitch festival for mixed-messaging and pressing ahead as the mercury neared 40 degrees and extreme fire danger ratings were issued.
Organisers initially cautioned attendees to “follow CFA advice” and stay away, but didn’t cancel the event near Moyston that began on Friday.
In an update on Monday evening, organisers said the final attendees who stayed overnight were now leaving after authorities directed the festival to call off the event on Sunday afternoon.
“We have consistently followed the guidance of relevant authorities throughout the entire process,” a spokesperson for the festival said on Sunday.
Ambulance Victoria said two other festival-goers were flown to Geelong Hospital in a critical condition after incidents involving suspected substance use. Two others were taken to Ballarat and Ararat hospitals in a stable condition, the paramedic service said. All of them were men aged in their 20s and 30s.
Pitch festival organisers were contacted for further comment.
The Pitch Music and Arts festival in 2017.
The tragedy sparked a renewed political debate about introducing pill testing at festivals on Monday, despite the exact cause of Maugeri’s death not yet being determined.
The Greens issued a statement claiming the Pitch festival death could have been prevented if Victoria had pill testing.
“It is devastating to hear about a young life being lost over the weekend while the new premier sits idle,” said Aiv Puglielli, the party’s drug harm reduction spokesperson.
Opposition Leader John Pesutto said the government needed to create better alert systems for dangerous drugs and impose stricter obligations on festival hosts. The Coalition does not support pill testing.
“We need to do better at education,” the Liberal leader said. “This is a tragedy.”
A Victorian government spokesperson said there were no plans to trial drug checking.
“We send our deepest sympathies to the young man’s family and friends during this difficult time,” they said.
Separately, the spokesperson said festival organisers were required to have an emergency management plan for extreme weather.
Pitch’s plan was activated when an extreme fire danger rating was declared on Friday. The plan’s design meant the festival needed to be cancelled or suspended when another extreme rating was declared for Monday.
Before the weekend, authorities were more concerned about the health and safety risk of partygoers during a heatwave than they were about the risk of bushfire.
The Department of Health in January released a drug alert that warned about the risk of taking stimulants such as MDMA in hot weather after overheating was linked to a mass overdose at the Hardmission electronic music festival.
Two other drug alerts issued since then have warned about a pink and white capsule sold as “3C-P” that contains a potent opioid and an off-white powder sold as “2C-B” that contains two synthetic drugs with a high risk of toxic effects.
The Pitch Music Festival fire safety plan, which did not cause concern for authorities, was to shelter in place rather than evacuate, a source with knowledge of the plan said.
Police will prepare a report for the coroner about Maugeri’s death.
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