One Drowned, One Collapsed

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30943, 27 December 1965, Page 1

One Drowned, One Collapsed

(N.Z. Press Association) AUCKLAND, Dec. 26.

A man was drowned while swimming in the Whitford river at Whitford today. He was

Jack Dennis Rhind, aged 36, a workman, married, with 12 children, of 25 Orchard rise, Papakura. Mr Rhind was about a third of the way across the river when he called for help A nephew, Mr D. R. Roberts, aged 21, of Beachlands road.

Beachlands, went to his aid but had to abandon his rescue attempt when he became exhausted Other companions found Mr Rhind’s body in about 6ft of water. Mouth-to-mouth resuscitation was tried without success. Collapsed A young woman collapsed while surfing at Piha beach today. She was Miss Rhonda Porter, aged 19. of 45 Maskell street. St. Heliers. Miss Porter was brought ashore by a companion. Members of the Piha Surf Life-saving Club attempted to revive her with a resuscitator. St. John Ambulance men arrived with another machine and continued the attempt on the way to hospital in Auckland but without success. Bodies Found The bodies of two people drowned in a motor-boat accident in the Wanganui river

on December 19 have been recovered. James Robert Chadwick Taylor, aged 24, married, with two children, and Suzanne

Lena Craig, aged 18, single, both of Patea. were thrown into the river about 13 miles from Wanganui eight days ago when their motor-boat apparently struck an underwater snag about 15 yards from the left bank. Their companions. George Turner, aged 22, and Joy Eades, aged 19, both of Palmerston North, managed to get to the bank, but Taylor and Miss Craig disappeared. In spite of daily searches nothing had been seen of either of the victims ‘ until about 1.15 p.m. on Friday when a Wanganui taxi-driver. Mr L. Cave, saw Miss Craig's body floating down the river a mile upstream from Upokongaro.

At 10 a.m. today, Messrs K. H. Rush and P. Syme, both of Brunswick road, Aramoho, who had been in the search parties since the accident, went to the scene to try to recover the sunken boat, when they found Mr Taylor’s body about a mile south of Kaiwhaiki and not far from where the accident occurred. The bodies were brought to Wanganui.