Seven Drowned In Boating Accidents

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28679, 1 September 1958, Page 8

Seven Drowned In Boating Accidents

(New Zealand Press Association) AUCKLAND, August 31. Seven persons are believed to have been drowned in two boating accidents on Saturday afternoon.

At Te Kohanga. on the lower Waikatu river, a woman, three of her children and a man lost their lives when a flat-bottomed punt sank. A man and a boy were drowned when a 16-foot catamaran yacht foundered in the Hauraki Gulf. Another boy, who clung to the submerged catamaran throughout Saturday night, was rescued at 10.30 a.m. today and is now in the Auckland Hospital.

The Te Kohanga victims were: Ted Kara, aged about 35 a workman. Mrs Melita Duncan, aged 42. Robin Duncan, aged 10. Te Aroha Duncan, aged eight. Mathew Duncan, aged seven. A fourth child, Patricia Duncan, aged six, was saved. The Catamaran victims were: Peter Coley, aged about 30, single, of Birkdale. John Denvers, aged 14, twin son of Mrs M. Denvers, a vfidow, of Birkdale. The boy in hospital. is Michael Tupp, aged 13, a son of Mr and Mrs G. T. Tupp, of Birkdale. Boat Swamped In the accident at Te Kohanga, Mr Kara was ’ rowing Mrs Duncan and her four children from the wharf at the whitebait cannery to his home on the other side of the river. Mrs Duncan’s husband, Mr Georgs Duncan, was waiting at Mr Kara’s home and saw the nine-foot boat get into difficulties about 50 yards from the shore. Mr Kara tried to turn the boat back, but it swamped. Mr Duncan saw Mr Kara swimming for the shore and his wife and three sons being swept downstream. His daughter Patricia was clinging to the wrecked boat and calling out for him. Mr Johnny Hira took Patricia from the water when the punt was washed to the shore downstream. Mrs Duncan’s body was recovered some time later, a short distance downstream. No trace has been found of the other victims. Mr Coley and the two boys left Castor Bay , Beach about midday on Saturday in the Catamaran and intended to sail to Manly to visjt friends and perhaps carry on to Tiri Tiri Island. When they did not arrive home in the evening, as expected, the police, air-sea rescue and coastguard services were notified and a search began. The yacht, which was owned and built by Mr Coley, was

sighted by the launch Florence KennedMfcis morning. Her skipper, Cdptain L. A. Sowerby. through his binocular spotted a figurq waving from the water about a mile and a half away. “When we got closer I was amazed to find a boy sitting in a submerged catamaran,” he said. “I have never seen anything like it in mJ life before and I never want to see it again. All the boy could say when we brought him aboard was: ‘My mates, my mates are dead.’”

Captaim Sowerby said he and passengers were then horrified to see the body of another boy lashed to the hull of the yacht. The body was cut free and taken aboard. Michael Tupp was transferred to an amphibious aircraft piloted by Captain F. W Ladd and flown to Mechanics Bay. He was taken to hospital by ambulance and tonight was reported to be making good progress'. Courage and Lucic Captain Sowerby expressed amazement at the courage shown by the boy in surviving the ordeal of a bitter winter night in the middle of the gulf. He had been sitting all night in water up to his waist and, although weak and exhausted, said’he hoped he was not a trouble. “I can hardly credit how a boy of his age could hang on like that all night,” said Captain Sowerby. “I honestly think God was out there today and he must have guided us. We seldom go that way this time of the year and usually head towards Thames. I can’t understand what took us that way.” The search for Mr Coley continued throughout today without result.