WANTED TO DIE.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 18947, 11 March 1927, Page 12

WANTED TO DIE.

* OLD WOMAN'S ACT. WALKED INTO SURF. (JFBOU OUB OWN COBSESPONDENT.) ' ' . SYDNEY, February v 22. The extraordinary behaviour of a well-dressed elderly woman oil Bondi surf beach several nights ago was fortunately noticed by a few men who happened to be on the beach a little after 7 p.m., or another tragedy might have had to be recorded, ihe woman, fully clothed, walked out into /the surf and threw herself down in the breakers, apparently ■ attempting to drown herself. A man who saw her enter the water went out and brought her to shore. Dusk had fallen at the time the woman chose to make her attempt, and the iigurea of the few people moving oil tlia beach were but lainiiy discernible. ihe woman, staggering tnrough the heavy wand, walked straignt out into the breakers to where the water was about lour feet deep. There she cast herself down, and, apparently making no attempt to lloat,' proceeded to drown, fortunately, as she passed close by some men who were standing on the beach, they noticed something peculiar about her, and one of them, Mr Claude iSeabrook, of the Bondi burf Ulub, who was in a bathing costume, preparatory to having a swim in the neighbouring baths, followed lier down to the water's edge. When she entered the water' he went out after her.

When Mr Seabrook reached the if oman she was making no attempt to keep herself above the water, and upon his seizing her she made a feeble resistance, muttering to herself that she was tired of this world and wanted to see the next. id» lifted her in his arms' and carried her to the beach, where a few minutes later she received attention from the ambulance. When she was questioned , later by the police, the woman said that she was 71 years of age. In a rambling statement, continually reiterating that she was tired of life, she said that she had no place of residence and had not long since arrived in Sydney from New Zealand. She was later taken by the ambulance' men to the Reception House.