Summary

TAPE_NUMBER: EN9931 IN_TIME: 11:32:28 LENGTH: 02:17 SOURCES: AuBC/PARAMOUNT/APTN RESTRICTIONS: AuBC material = No Access Australia/Internet, No re-use/re-sale of film/video clips without clearance from Paramount, No access Internet FEED: SCRIPT: xfa STORY :CROCODILE DUNDEE LOCATION : VARIOUS DATE : AUGUST 3rd & 4th '99 + FILE A rugged Australian rancher whose feats of survival in the Outback inspired the movie character Crocodile Dundee has been killed in a shootout with police RODNEY WILLIAM ANSELL ambushed and killed a police sergeant on Tuesday (3/8) from his hiding place in the bushes along a motorway Another officer returned fire, killing 44yearold Ansell during the confrontation, 30 miles (48 kilometres) south of the Northern Territory capital of Darwin It was during a shootout at this roadblock, set up by police to catch an unidentified attacker, that the reallife Crocodile Dundee met his death His barefoot body, found with two highpowered rifles, did not carry any identification Police had spent the previous 12 hours searching for a man who had attacked a nearby house on Monday night, injuring two people Police officials said Ansell was probably behind that attack as well The gunfight brought to a dramatic conclusion the life of a man whose survival instincts and rough wilderness manner made him famous as a symbol of Australian toughness Ansell became a local hero in 1977 after being swept out to sea and landing on a small island with nothing but wallabies and cattle to sustain him for two months A rifle and his two dogs were among the few items he was able to salvage He stayed alive by shooting sharks and buffalo and drinking their blood after a crocodile attacked his small boat Only the timely visit to the island by an Aboriginal tribe saved him Ansell's story sparked actor and writer PAUL HOGAN'S imagination and inspired him, KEN SHADIE and JOHN CORNELL to write a film about an Outback superstar Crocodile Dundee, which starred Hogan, became an international comedy hit in 1986 and earned its three writers an academy award nomination for best original screenplay Ansell was named the Northern Territory's 1988 Territorian of the Year for inspiring the film that put the Outback on the map But Ansell's fortunes fell sharply in the past decade Financial difficulties forced him to sell his Melaleuca ranch in the early 1990s, and he blamed the Northern Territory government for not compensating him properly during a disease eradication programme that cost him threethousand head of cattle On Monday (2/8), police responded to reports that a man had fired shots at locals On Tuesday, two officers were preparing to dismantle a roadblock on the Stuart Highway which they had set up to capture the attacker, when a motorist stopped to ask for directions Suddenly shots flew from a roadside bush, injuring the motorist in the back and piercing a gap in one of the officers' bulletproof vest His partner returned fire, killing Ansell The attack left police baffled and searching fruitlessly for a motive Different people knew different sides of Ansell But most people who came across this fiery character had a story to tell A post mortem examination will be carried out and it's hoped the toxicology results will show whether Ansell was under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the attack SHOTLIST: AUBC MATERIAL (Darwin August 3) GVS SHOOTING SCENE ; POLICE SEARCHING UNDERGROWTH ; AMBULANCE LEAVING WITH INJURED POLICEMAN ; GVS CRIME SCENE ; POLICEMAN WITH GUN AUBC MATERIAL ENDS / PARAMOUNT MATERIAL CLIP FROM CROCODILE DUNDEE PARAMOUNT MATERIAL ENDS / AUBC MATERIAL BEGINS AUBC FILE SOT ROD ANSELL, (RANCHER WHO WAS KILLED) ; AUBC (AUGUST 3) GVS POLICE OFFICERS ; AUBC MATERIAL (AUGUST 4) WS NEWS CONFERENCE ; SOT JOHN DAULBY, ASSISTANCE POLICE COMMISSIONER ; WS POLICE STATION ; FLAG AT HALF MAST ; SOT RACHEL PERCY, AUTHOR ; SOT MIKE ATKINSON, CAMERAMAN ; AUBC MATERIAL (AUGUST 3) SCENE OF SHOOTOUT ; AMBULANCE ARRIVAL AT HOSPITAL ; INJURED POLICEMAN RUSHED INTO HOSPITAL ; APTN MATERIAL BEGINS FILE PAUL HOGAN AT CANNES FILM FESTIVAL MAY 1994?