Sydney teen's death at Harbourlife festival avoidable, paramedics say Have we lost the war on drugs? Hospital emergency departments brace for themselves for an influx of drug-affected patients during music festivals. Is it time to look for other solutions to the drug problem? PT2M26S http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/action/externalEmbeddedPlayer?id=d-3jz1f 620 349 November 10, 2014 Paramedics and police are pleading for people to remember the tragic death of Sydney teenager Georgina Bartter the next time they think about ingesting drugs like ecstasy. NSW Ambulance said the 19-year-old's death was tragically avoidable and urged people to tell the truth about what their friends had taken if they appeared to have an adverse reaction. "Be as truthful as possible because the information they provide may directly impact the treatment," NSW Ambulance's acting Deputy Commissioner David Dutton said. Tragedy: Georgina Bartter. Photo: Facebook "It's really important that whilst paramedics might ask questions such as 'what did you take?' and 'how long ago?' their reason is so that they can provide the best possible care; it's not an investigative reason," he said. Police said if Ms Bartter had taken drugs, it would have been impossible for her to know what exactly she had consumed at the Harbourlife music festival on Saturday afternoon. Whatever it was left the former Wenona student unconscious on the ground as people danced around her at Mrs Macquarie's Chair. She later died in the emergency department at St Vincent's Hospital. The bottom line is no one knows how they are going to react. [Drugs] they are not made in factories, these are backyard labs and you never know what you are going to get from one batch to the next, " NSW Police drug squad commander Detective Superintendent Tony Cooke said. It is believed Ms Bartter, of Longueville on Sydney's north shore, had taken a combination of drugs including 1½ ecstasy pills before she was found by paramedics about 4.30pm, police said. Irish tourist Owen Mullins was dancing at the Harbourlife festival when he noticed Ms Bartter just before she lost consciousness. I walked past this girl and noticed that she was not looking well, I stopped and asked if she was OK. She didn't respond," he said. I sat next to her and watched for about 30 seconds to one minute and returned to tell her friend that she needed help. She agreed and asked for a paramedic so I ran and got one. I thought she would be saved. This is terrible terrible news; she was so young. Parents Simon and Kirsty Bartter spent Monday at their waterfront home in Longueville, where many close friends and family arrived with flowers and containers filled with food. The eldest of three siblings was described by her former headmistress as a "gorgeous, bright young woman." Briony Scott, the principal of Wenona girls school in North Sydney, said Ms Bartter's tragic death was "terribly sad" and she had been remembered during an intimate service. "We are deeply saddened by the death of this gorgeous, funny, bright young woman," Dr Scott said. She will be remembered for her scholarship and for her active and friendly approach to life. She had an infectious sense of humour and we will miss her enormously. Ms Bartter's death comes about a year after a 23-year-old James Munro died from a drug overdose at hardcore musical festival Defqon.1 at Penrith in September 2013. Police are waiting on toxicology results to determine the cause of Ms Bartter's death.