He was in an absolute lather of sweat when we got there. He was really well attached to it.

Robin Toom, 30, is a nice uncle. His sisters kids wanted nothing more than to play hide and go seek. Think for a second - where would you hide? I would get in my car and drive away. Those near and dear to me say this is cheating. Where, I asked TNADTM, are the rules for hide and seek written down? No one had the answer to that!

Anyway, Mr Toom was into it. He decided to hide somewhere no one would ever find him. In his sister's 8kg capacity washing machine. Jamming himself in with his knees pressed into his chest, he gloated. Maybe a small chuckle reverberated within the confines of the washer. Until he realized he was stuck.

"I just hopped in there, playing hide and go seek with the kids," the baker's assistant. "I got in there and couldn't even get the lid down and the kids came in and said 'ha ha we found you'."

Everybody crowded around the machine to gawk and laugh at the hapless and sweaty Toom.

Dave Dillon, a Townville fire officer got the call: man stuck in washing machine.

"We thought we'd get there and he'd have his hand stuck," Dillon said. "He was in an absolute lather of sweat when we got there. He was really well attached to it."

Dismantling the machine was quickly ruled a last option because Mr Toom would have still been in the tub, which would then have to be cut open. Dillon reached into the machine, dislodged Toom's foot and voila, he was free.

Toom had words of wisdom for the kids and really everyone: "I hope they don't go hiding in any washing machines now."