LARGE FORTUNE LIFE SAVING

Press, Volume LXX, Issue 21087, 12 February 1934, Page 5

LARGE FORTUNE

LIFE SAVING

N.Z. I'AMILY MAY GET A SHAKE: i IPItCSJ ASSOCIATION 'l-BLI&RAU.I • THAMES, February 10. ' A Mataloki family is at present on ; tenterhooks, and probably will remain I so for the next few days until definite word is received whether they will ■share in the big fortune left by a relative in the United States. Mrs K Noble, whose husband is a relief worker employed by the Thames County Council, was recently advised that she may participate in the distribution of a £1,000,000 estate left by a Mr Walsh, who served in the Maori wars before going to America. Mrs Noble is the daughter of Mrs Moran, a widow, of Devonport, who is the daughter of Mr Walsh, and one of the family ef five likely to share in the estate. Mrs Moran has six children, who. in event Of the for- ; tune being distributed, will share £200,000. The matter of the disposal of the I fortune is in the hands of a firm of ! Ounedin solicitors, and Mrs Noble e:> 1 nccts confirmation, or otherwise, during the coming week. Her husband has been a relief worker for the last three years, and there is a family of young children..

* COMPETITIONS AT TAYLOR'S JVIISTAKE BLACK AND WHITE AM) | KESTEVEN CUPS At Taylor's Mistake yesterday the annual surf competitions for the Black and White cup and the Kesteven cup, and the senior resuscitation championship, were held. Seldom has the little bay appeared to greater advantage. Gaily coloured bunting lent an air of festivity, and by mid-day dozens of cars and many spectators were present. Each year there is an improvement < in the standard of live saving in Cani terbury, so that it would seem wellj nigh impossible for previous performj ances to be bettered. This year the ! standard was again very high, especij ally in the Kesteven cup, a seven-man i alarm event, in which there is a ballot for places. The race for the Black and White cup yesterday was one that will not be readily forgotten and the New Brighton team deserves congratulations for its performance. A. T. F. Stokes's recovery from a seemingly' hopeless position was a remarkable effort. Conditions were excellent from every point of view. In the morning the sun shone brightly, but in the afternoon a cool easterly sprang up. The Black and White cup, which is a surf relay race for teams of four, the first man swimming with a belt, was decided in the morning, and was followed by the senior resuscitation championship. Before the Kesteven cup in the afternoon, a parade of the teams was held. Black and White Cup The teams in the order of swimming for the Black and White cup were:— Taylor's Mistake—M. R. Rattray (belt), A. T. Bolam, G. Low, and L. J. Moorhouse. Sumner—K. J. Lowry (belt), N. McPhail, S. G. Henry, and G. S. Cooper. Waimairi—A. G. Berry (belt), T. White, L. White, and A. Ironsides. New Brighton—R. McKenzie (belt), IN. Herrick, E. McConville, and A. T. F. Stokes. North Beach—A. T. Dalton (belt), D. H. Symes, 11. Schou, and J. McDonald. Race Described

When the teams lined up for the race, conditions were perfect. The buoy was anchored about 150 yards from the shore, and the surf was then comparatively moderate. During the competition, however, the surf appeared to increase and a distinct "set" towards the north, slightly apparent at the outset, became a severe handicap to the third and fourth men of each team. The regularity of the swells which developed into rollers of some force, presented great opportunities for "shooters" and there was great excitement on the shore when it was seen that a contestant was doing his utmost to make use d the waves for this purpose. Except fn one or two cases the competitors were 100 tired to gain sufficient speed to catch the waves, and had they been able to do so t,he placings would possibly have been very different.

From the word "go" Lowry (Sumner) took the lead and halfway to the buoy he was still leading, followed by Dalton, McKenzie, Berry, and Rattray. The order at the turn was Dalton, McKenzie, Rattray, Lowry, and Berry, all close together. On the return journey, Rattray (Taylor's Mistake) swam magnificently. Halfway home he challenged Dalton, and taking the lead he reached the starting point four yards ahead of Dalton, who was two yards ahead of McKenzie. Lowry (Sumner) was 15 yards back and was L! 0 yards ahead of Berry,

Halfway out in the second heat the order was Bolarn, Symes, Herrick, McPhail, and T. White. This order was maintained round the buoy, with Bolam two yards ahead of Symes. On the return journey Bolam swam very wide, and was passed by Symes, who missed a "shooter" when near the shore. McPhail was about 50 yards i away, and White was 75 yards in the rear. McPhail caught a shooter and improved his position, and the order to the shore was, Symes, Bolam, Heri rick, McPhail, and White about 100 yards away. ' Halfway out in the third heat Low was in the lead, closely followed by Schou, who was 15 yards ahead' of McConville. Waimairi's third man was just leaving when the leaders were three-quarters of the distance out. Round the buoy Low led by five yards from Schou, who was 15 yards in front of McConville. Low increased his lead on the return journey and getting a "shoot" was at the starting point when L. White was rounding the buoy. It was at this time that the northerly "set" became very pronounced and Shou and McConville were both unfortunate in encountering it when near the shore. McConville arrived just ahead of Schou and at this stage Henry (Sumner) and L. White were well in the rear. A Desperate Struggle I Moorhouse, th»last man for Taylor's Mistake, had a big load of 30 yards on Stokes (New Brighton) halfway out on the final lap, and Taylor's Mistake appeared almost certain to win the cup. McDonald (North Beach) was 30 yards further back. Stokes's subsequent effort was one of the finest exhibitions of grit, seen for a long time. He was 14 seconds behind Moorhouse at the turn, and halfway home had reduced the gap to 15 yards, about 40 yards ahead of McDonald. Even at this stage it appeared that Moorhouse would win, if only by a small margin. In the last 40 yards both swimmers were being carried away from the finishing line by the set, Moorhouse to a greater extent than Stokes. Both missed a shoot and excitement was then running high, since had either of them caught it, the race would practically have been decided. Both were on their feet in water waist-deep, Moorhouse still a fev/ yards in front. Then followed a gruelling struggle against a very strong current for about 15 yards. The excitement was now intense and with every stride Stokes appeared to decrease the lead. With the press of i water hindering his legs, Moorhouse j staggered and fell three yards from the line. He got up, tottered a moment, and fell again three feet from his objective. With a final burst Stokes lurched across the line, and collapsed, and had to be carried up the beach, Moorhouse, whose legs gave way beneath him also had to be assisted, and, unfortunately, as he did not cross the line, Taylor's Mistake were disqualified.

McDonald (North Beach) was 50 yards back, and although the fate of Cooper and Ironsides, last men for Sumner and Waimairi, had apparently been overlooked in the general excitement, Cooper caught a wave which improved his position to a very great extent.

The race was the finest ever witnessed in this competition, but it was generally agreed that the distance was much too long, and the distressed condition of the competitors appeared to support this contention. Senior Resuscitation Championship This event attracted 10 entrants. The standard of work, the judges stated, was the highest yet seen. Results:— L. Sutherland (Sumner) .. 1 L. J. Moorhouse (Taylor's Mistake;, A. T. Dalton (North Beach), and D. Richardson (Sumner) (equal) .. .. .. 2 Sutherland's placing was good and his timing rhythmic and consistent. Kestcven Cup This competition was commenced at full tide, six teams entering and the sea conditions proving favourable for last work. It included a iuJ.l_ballot

for team places over a course of about 300 yards. Results:— Sumner—K. Lowry (support). G. Cooper (belt), L. Sutherland (first linesman), N. McPhail (reel), A. Henry (second linesman), K. Herriott (third linesman), D. Richardson (subject), J. N. Frengley (instructor) .. 1 With the reel well into the water and the linesmen out into deep water this team kept the line out of a troublesome drift and assisted the beltman. The discipline was excellent. Reel and line were kept trim, the take over was good, and the march out was one of the best pieces of work by that club. New Brighton—A. R. McKenzie, C. A. Cauldwell, N. Herrick, C. W. Dean, H. T. Smith, A. T. F. Stokes, B. Benson, C. W. Smith (instructor) .. .. 2 The support of this team shot well ahead, the linesmen working well out and the water assisting fast work. Reel and line work were both good and the signals prompt and clear. The support's time was very fast and a clean take-over completed an outstanding exhibition. New Brighton B—L. Clarkson. E. Clelland, M. Henty, W. M. Clelland, R. Shilleto, I. Carson, G. Gowan, C. Smith (instructor) 3 The team struck average water conditions with the line drifting strongly to the north. The linesmen worked with good rhythm and strength, but the signalling was at first a little uncertain. The support' made the fastest time, 2min 21 l-ssec, and the beltman also recorded the best time for the contest with 2min 46sec. The most popular item of the day was the annual surf canoe race. This attracted four entries, two only finishing. V. Hunter, with a canoe fitted with air tanks, was first, and J. Bailey, in a very light craft, was second. At the conclusion of the programme, Mr D. V. Wilson, the president of the Canterbury Surf Association, asked the Mayor of Sumner, Mr W. H. Nicholson, to present the trophies. In doing this, Mr Nicholson congratulated the clubs on the splendid work they were doing both on the beaches and in the competitions. He especially referred to the good work being done by Mr J. Sutherland, of the Sumner } Club, and asked him to accept the I Kesteven Cup for the first time in the history of his club, and also to accept ! the Osborne decorated cake, which ! was always presented by the patron I of the Taylor's Mistake Chib.

JUNIOR RESUSCITATION CHAMPIONSHIP

The result of the .junior resuscitation championship, held at New Brighton last week, results of which were held over, have been announced. The winner is H. Stevens, of the Sumner LifeSaving Club.