Michael Peterson (surfer) - The Chase

The Chase

On the evening of 9 August 1983, Peterson was travelling to Noosa to windsurf the next day. He pulled up at Beenleigh, south of Brisbane, to sleep but was startled by a police car with its siren blaring; the occurrence set Peterson into a panic and he speedily drove away. He had not realised the police car was actually going in the opposite direction and the police officer consequently pursued Peterson, with 20 police cars eventually joining the chase. Peterson mounted the footpath at one point, as the high-speed chase proceeded the vast distance to Brisbane, where a further 15 police cars formed a roadblock on the Story Bridge; the roadblock caused Peterson to stop. The pursuit later appeared on the national Australian news and became known in surfing circles as "the chase".

Following the incident, Peterson was held overnight in a cell at Beenleigh, prior to being taken to Boggo Road Gaol. The police presumed that he was drug-affected and confiscated his car, The Falcon, for the purpose of a search. Vitamin C tablets, part of Peterson's intermittent healthly eating regimes, was the only item that was uncovered. The car was eventually sent to the wreckers and Peterson received a year-long prison sentence, in addition to being banned from driving for life. The presiding judge also ordered a psychiatric report but a diagnosis was not revealed. Peterson began his sentence at Boggo Road and was present during some of the institution's infamous riots.

Peterson's mother lobbied her local state MP, the justice minister and the minister in charge of prisons to obtain medical assistance for her son; as a result, Peterson was eventually moved to Wacol Prison Hospital on 25 December 1983 for psychiatric treatment. His schizophrenia was diagnosed many years after onset and he received Mellaril medication. Peterson also consented to electroshock treatments and received two sessions.

Following his release from prison, Peterson returned to the Gold Coast and resided between care facilities and his mother's house. The prescribed medication helped considerably, but Peterson lived mostly as a recluse, rarely seeking out the company of former friends. A poor diet, combined with the psychiatric medication (especially Clozaril), caused Peterson's weight to increase to a point where he was scarcely recognisable.

Like many schizophrenics, Peterson heard voices and he reported the voices as being "friendly".