Folks, I think you should all ditch the personal insults and perhaps focus on helping out. Mistakes are made in aviation, and people openly speaking about them should be applauded, not delt with abuse. Others will read this thread, and other will learn from it. Abusing a fellow pilot will just result in them not asking for advice in the future or telling their stories.
Ryan, thanks for your story. I was interested in flying into YORC, but your story has convinced me to go practice my soft/shortfield take off techniques first. Our club requires you to be certified into island airstrips (regardless of hours/experience) prior to landing solo, and I have qualified for that.
BTW, this could be a good article for CASA's Flight Safety rag that they send out to those who are subscribed. I always read those articles, and I have learned a lot from them