Searching Plane Finds Missing Boat's Crew

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28559, 12 April 1958, Page 12

Searching Plane Finds Missing Boat's Crew

(New Zealand Press Association)

INVERCARGILL, April 11. The crew of a missing Riverton Ashing boat the 40ft Runa was found safe and well at Sealers Bay on Codfish Island this afternoon by an Amphibian Airways plane. Sergeant E. B. McCallum, of the Invercargill police, said tonight that there was no sign of the boat although a dinghy was drawn up on the beach and the four men were seen waving to the plane as it flew overhead. The amphibian, piloted by Mr H. Bennett, carried Sergeant McCallum and Mr S. Tall, of the Air-Sea Rescue Organisation. “A dinghy on the beach attracted our attention and as we were flying over it a man ran down the beach waving something,” said Sergeant McCallum. “Two other men followed him and we noticed a fourth man walking slowly down the beach to join the other three. We could see that they had a fire and a makeshift shelter and by the energy shown by the men who were running wildly around the beach it seems as though the men are fit and well. “It was too rough for us to land so we dipped our wings to let them know we had seen them. After we had made sure that the men were well we searched for the Runa. After a trip around the whole island we could not see any sign of her and it looks as if xshe may have been lost.” V The amphibian returned to Invercargill about 4.40 p.m.

An early search today was hampered by the weather and heavy showers, but two planes took off from Invercargill airport later in the afternoon.

An R.N.Z.A.F. Devon, which came down with the 12 Harvards which visited Southland today, searched around Ruapuke and along the coast to Waikawa. On board the Devon was the commanding officer of Wigram. Group Captain T. J. De Lange.

Tomorrow morning at 7 o’clock, the Seaway, a fishing boat based at Halfmoon Bay, will leave, weather permitting to pick up the Runa’s crew. If anyone is injured, the boat will , sail direct to Bluff, but if the men are well the boat will go back to Halfmoon Bay. The four men on the Runa are believed to be the owner and skipper, Frederick Roderique, aged about 48, his son Tom, aged 18, his father, Thomas Roderique. aged about 75, and Billy Gorman, aged 18, of Invercargill.

Television casualties were not confined to the human race, a doctor wrote to the “British Medical Journal’’ today. Dr. A. G. Lesliesmith, of Reading, reported: ‘ Our golden retriever, an ardent viewer, was watching a programme about Pasteur’s work on hydrophobia. A rabid dog being experimented on was shown. Our dog promptly turned away from the set and vomited.’’— London, April 11.