CORONER'S COURT Husband Supported By Wife In Lake

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31988, 15 May 1969, Page 17

CORONER'S COURT Husband Supported By Wife In Lake

A woman described in the Coroner’s Court yesterday afternoon how she supported her husband while they were buffeted by waves on Lake Ellesmere after their small sailing boat had capsized. The Coroner (Mr A. T. Bell) found that Donald Holbrey, aged 48, was drowned on March 10 in Lake Ellesmere Betty Mary Holbrey, a widow, said that about 1 p m. on Sunday, March 9, she and her husband went to Selwyn Huts, Lake Ellesmere, with their sailing dinghy. A new mast and sail had been fitted

and they wanted to try the boat out before taking it to Picton the next week-end. They sailed down the river into Lake Ellesmere. Quite a strong wind was blowing and this drove the boat faster than it had ever gone before They were not wearing lifejackets. A small in-board motor in the boat was not used. Mrs Holbrey said that her husband took the boat towards the middle of the lake and when the surface got choppy they decided to return about 3.30 p.m. At that stage they were about two miles from the shore. “When my husband tried to turn the boat round it capsized and we were thrown into the water.” Mrs Holbrey said. “All the contents of the boat fell in the water and we lost an oar. While the boat was on its side my husband uncoupled the mast and the sail and these floated away. “Although the boat was full of water we managed to right it but it would not support the two of us. I sat in the full boat for some time using the one oar and my husband stayed in the water trying to swim and pull the boat towards Sei wyn Huts. “Several times the wind and waves caused the boat to capsize and I was thrown back into the water. After several hours in the water my husband started to complain of cramp in one of his legs. We changed places and I got in the water at the back of the boat and kicked my feet,*' said Mrs Holbrey. “While my husband was in the boat he kept testing the depth with the remaining oar. At one stage he thought he felt the bottom and it was then that we thought we would make it because all the time we had been heading towards Selwyn Huts and had made a lot of progress. “It had been dark for several hours.’’ she said. “I saw two blue lights in the distance and assumed that they were coming from the direction of Selwyn

Huts. We also saw the head lights of a car and assumed that it was a police car looking for us. We were about a mile offshore and we called out for some time until the lights of the vehicle disappeared. “The wind then changed and blew us back out towards the middle of the lake. The surface became very rough and the boat capsized again. We were both very weak and this, together with the waves, prevented us from rerighting the boat. The second oar was lost. “While we were clinging to the upturned boat I could see that my husband was rapidly becoming weaker. He did not complain but his speech was becoming very slow and slurred. I had to hold on to him to stop him from slipping away,” Mrs Holbrey said. “Earlier I felt sure that we would get back to the shore but I was getting frightened. Although I was getting weaker and my bands getting colder, I continued to support my husband. We were continually buffeted by the waves. “In the early hours of Monday. March 10. a wave threw my husband and 1 away and towards the rear of the upturned boat and it parted us. “When 1 looked in his direction 1 saw the top of his head just disappearing under the water. I tried to grab him but without success and it then took me all my time to hold on to the boat. “I continued to cling to the upturned boat and I knew .that I had to keep on kicking my feet. I don't remember much of what happened from then until my feet touched the bottom. I came to a duck shooter’s miamia, tied the boat to it, and crawled up to the shore and that was where I was found by the searchers,” said Mrs Holbrey. CLIMBER KILLED Tristram Cuthbert Harper, aged 22, was found to have died on March 22 on Mount Rolleston in the Otira Valley from shock due to multiple injuries and exposure suffered when he accidentally fell into a crevasse while glissading down the Otira slide. Constable A. P. L. Cunningham said that at 3.17 p.m. on Saturday, March 23, while he was in the Upper Otira Valley with the Christchurch face res cue team on a practice climb, he was informed that Mr Harper had fallen into a crevasse. The face rescue team left immediately for the scene with recovery equipment. Witness and lan Gardiner climbed up the west side of the Otira Valley and set up a radio base. Witness was advised by radio that the rescue team had arrived at the scene at 4.15 p.m., and that there was no sign of Mr Harper, although there were marks in the snow showing where he had been glissading to a point about 30ft above the crevasse. At this point he h.id apparently seen the danger and had gone into the self-arrest position. Mr Harper had fallen into a crevasse which was about 12ft wide. Mr R. Vickers, by a rope belayed from an ice axe. was lowered about 40ft to the lip

and then another 40ft vertically to the ledge where he found Mr Harper. He had landed on a ledge which was covered with ice water. Mr Harper had then apparently pulled himself from under a waterfall Into a sitting posi tion with his head against the snow. He was soaking wet and was sitting in water. His ice axe was lying nearby. He was conscious but kept drifting Into unconsciousness every tew minutes. Mr Harper was given hot tea and dry clothing by Mr Vickers. Constable Cunningham said. Because of the position of the crevasse no practicable position could be found to set up the face rescue winch and it was decided to use improvised methods to effect a rescue, he said It was about 6.30 p.m. before suffic.ent belay points, could be fixed and Mr Harper loaded on to a stretcher. Dr J. Pascoe was lowered down the crevasse and examined Mr Harper, gave him hot coffee and requested by radio that an ambulance intravenous equipment and extra morphine be sent by road to the mouth of the valley. Because the crevasse was very narrow at one point the stretcher could not be guided and as it was being raised it got stuck and there was a con siderable delay before it was freed About 9 p.m. when the stretcher was some 20ft from the top Mr Harper was examined by Dr L. Strang and was found to be dead, said Constable Cunningham FELL UNDER TRUCK Catherine Mary Crowe, aged 25, was found to have died on March 24 at the corner of Bealey Avenue and Papanui Road, from gross head and chest Injuries suffered when she fell from a cycle under the dual rear wheels of a logging truck driven by Barry William Hammond. Evidence was given that Miss Crowe's jacket appeared to get caught on the seat of her cycle and she fell under the wheels of the truck as it moved off at the traffic lights The driver was not aware that the accident occulted until he was stopped by a motorist. . FATAL COLLISION Miroslaw Bednarek, aged 42, was found to have died on February 9 on the Main West Road at Aylesbury, from severe chest injuries,, suffered when the car he was driving ran into the back of a car driven bv Bel Haeta. Evidence was given that Mr Bednarek had been to a picnic at Klrwee with his wife and family and that he had been drinking. DIED FROM INJURIES Jeanette Frances Tay'.or, aged 17. was found to have died on October 17 in Princess Margaret Hospital, from bronchopneumonia and head injuries suffered when a car being driven by Warren James Bruce went over a bank near the Rakaia Gorge. CYCLIST KILLED Richard Varcoe, aged 66. was found to have died on March 15, from multiple internal injuries suffered when he was knocked off his cycle in Cam Road Kaiapoi, by a car driven by Arnold Herbert Fox. STRUCK BY CAR William Ernest Cottier, aged S 3, was found to have died on March 23 in the Christchurch Hospital, from severe head Injuries suffered when he was knocked off h’s cycle bv a car driven by Kate Ellen Gibb at the corner of Forfar and Berwick Streets on March 19. KNOCKED OFF CYCLE James Frederick Mark, aged 67, was found to have died on March 9 in the Christchurch Hospital, from multiple injuries suffered when he was knocked off his cycle in Fitzgerald Avenue on March 8 by a.van driven by Don Edward Mortensen. SUICIDE VERDICT Allster Condon, aged 43, was found to have died on March 3 in an ambulance on the way from Coalgate to Christchurch, from a bullet wound in the stomach, having committed suicide.