Former swimmer shaken by youths

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32958, 3 July 1972, Page 14

Former swimmer shaken by youths

(Netv Zealand Press Association)

NEW PLYMOUTH, July 2.

The former Australian swimming star, Miss Dawn Fraser, was forced to take refuge in a remote Te Kuiti farmhouse on Saturday night after being hounded by two carloads of youths about ten miles south of the King Country township.

The five-times Olympic gold medallist was travelling with her six-year-old daughter, Dawn Lorraine, from Auckland to Stratford, where she was to be the guest-of-honour at a fund-raising cabaret.

Miss Fraser said that during her brief stop at Te Kuiti to buy her daughter a drink, she saw a large crowd of

youths drinking beer from bottles, near a take-away shop in the main street. CAR BLOCKED A few miles south of the town the two cars caught up with the rented car she was driving and blocked the vehicle back and front. “I was terrified,” said Miss Fraser. “I was sandwiched in between the two cars and could not get out. There was a car right on my tail and the other car close in front of me.” In desperation she made an unscheduled detour at what is known as the eightmile turnoff to Taumarunui. One of the cars followed her up the road as she searched for a farmhouse where people were obviously at home. About two miles from the turn-off, with the second car still close behind. Miss Fraser swung into the farm of Mr Malcolm Jones. She dashed from the car and rapped frantically on the door. “Please help,” she said to Mrs Jones. Miss Fraser said tonight: “I don’t know what I must have looked like turning up like that, but I was terrified.” CABARET MISSED

“She was really shaken, all I right,” said Mr Jones. From the farmhouse Miss Fraser called the cabaret organiser, Mr Peter Vilaar, to explain the delay. They discussed possible ways to get the former swimming champion to Stratford but eventually decided to abandon the plans.

Miss Fraser and her daughter gratefully accepted the Jones’s invitation to stay the night at the farm house. She said she was exhausted after the long drive at night on .unfamiliar roads and upset after the incident.