T-shirt appalls victim's father

'IN HOUSE JOKE': One of the photos viewed on Mad Dog owner Brad Mcleod's Facebook page showing staff member Jonathan "Bam Bam" Strickland late last year with a T-shirt that has offended the father of a British tourist who died on a trip with the company.

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A Mad Dog River Boarding guide was given a T-shirt appearing to mock the death of British tourist Emily Jordan, who drowned on a Mad Dog trip last year.

Photographs of the T-shirt were viewed on Mad Dog owner Brad McLeod's Facebook page, showing grinning guide Jonathan "Bam Bam" Strickland accepting the T-shirt at the company's Christmas party in Queenstown last year.

The pictures show the T-shirt bearing the slogan "Bam Bams River Kill Bar & Grill, river kills em, bam bam drills em" and features three women in bikinis.

Emily Jordan, 21, died in April last year when she was stuck under a rock while river boarding on the Kawarau River with Mad Dog. In August, company owner Brad McLeod pleaded guilty to a health and safety charge relating to her death, professing his remorse in court.

Yesterday, Miss Jordan's father Chris Jordan told The Southland Times he was appalled the T-shirt had been printed and the photographs put on a public website.

"It's just appalling. They are making fun of my daughter's death."

Mr McLeod clearly showed no remorse and his business should be shut down, Mr Jordan said.

"I think they've been given enough rope. Someone has got to say enough is enough."

Mr Jordan has repeatedly criticised a lack of regulation in the adventure tourism industry in New Zealand. His letter to Prime Minister John Key after the trial led to a Government review of the adventure tourism industry.

Maritime NZ spokesman Lindsay Sturt said Mr Jordan contacted Maritime NZ director Catherine Taylor last week about the T-shirt and Mad Dog had been advised it was "not a good look".

"Given the circumstances and the recent fatality, it's quite clear that they should be taken off (Facebook)," Mr Sturt said.

Mr McLeod said yesterday the T-shirt came from a casual employee and Mad Dog management did not know about it until the party.

"Once management saw what it said, we all said `that's inappropriate'," he said.

Mr McLeod said he did not believe the T-shirt was meant to refer to Miss Jordan but was rather a disgraceful in-house joke between a few staff.

"This event can only be described as a sad and sick joke," he said. "I can fully understand Chris Jordan taking total offence."

The T-shirt had been destroyed the next day and staff asked to delete all photographs of it, he said.

The photographs that did end up on Facebook were posted by the casual employee's former girlfriend and were not from his page, Mr McLeod said.

Both he and Mr Strickland had apologised to Mr Jordan, he said.

The former girlfriend had been contacted last week and had agreed to remove the photographs.

The casual employee was no longer with Mad Dog and had moved to Australia.

- © Fairfax NZ News

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Cloe   #16   11:16 am Oct 12 2009

What a profoundly insensitive young woman. I hope, one day, with maturity she can acknowledge the stupidly of her "fun". I hope that she can imagine when her child is 21 how ignorant she has been.

Rex   #15   09:02 am Oct 12 2009

C #5

Oh well that's alright then. Sheesh you really have to wonder how anyone could get confused don't you?

C & Adrian, I presume you are part of this industry and judging by your posts you are a classic example of what's wrong with it. Passing this off as an in joke and expecting that to be a reasonable explanation of this behaviour shows you are either stupid or... well, very stupid.

ab   #14   08:59 am Oct 12 2009

Meh, move on

Tharon   #13   08:59 am Oct 12 2009

#11 Amen brother.

Anna   #12   08:54 am Oct 12 2009

To 'C' - NOT THE POINT!!

VJ   #11   08:48 am Oct 12 2009

A classic example of "too soon"......

the saint   #10   08:37 am Oct 12 2009

Appalling and shocking....and very typical of the attitude of a lot of these idiots in the "adventure tourism" business is Queenstown. Mr Jordon, if you are reading this, my condolences and this is the sort of thing "lonely planet" and other guide books should be told about.

JimBo   #9   08:26 am Oct 12 2009

Tourism NZ MUST close this cowboy outfit down!!

A Sick, Appalling joke!

b davis   #8   08:24 am Oct 12 2009

would he still be grinningif, IT WAS his daughter

Big Jack   #7   08:17 am Oct 12 2009

This highlights the problem. It is not always the management of a business but the staff responsible for providing the service. If the attitude is faulty, the service is equally so.

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