Guides always check lifejackets

By the mid-1970s, lifejackets were staring to reach a better standard – full body jackets in good working order; the foam jackets were not quite there yet, so these “Mae Wests” were state of the art (with a flaw – the kapok air bags could puncture and the filling get soaked, making the jacket unusable). Here, Judy Pace, one of the first women guides on the river (then with ARTA), helps a young RAFT (Desmond Johnson’s company) passenger get suited up.