Great farming scientist dies in harbour

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32959, 4 July 1972, Page 3

Great farming scientist dies in harbour

CVew Zealand Press Association)

AUCKLAND, July 3.

A world authority on agricultural science and one of New' Zealand’s most respected farming figures, Dr Campbell Percy McMeekan, died in a boating accident at the Westhaven marina, Auckland, last night.

Dr McMeekan, aged 64, had spent the day sailing with his brother-in-law, Mr D. Walker, and two other men in Mr Walker’s 32ft keeler. They had moored the yacht Taitua at the eastern end of the marina about 730 p.m. As Dr McMeekan, Mr Walker and a crew member, Mr D. Walls, began to row ashore, their dinghy capsized.

The three men fell in the water. Mr Walker and Mr Walls managed to climb back aboard the keeler, but Dr McMeekan could not summon the strength to pull himself out.

Long struggle

Wet and cold, the two men began a desperate struggle against exposure and fatigue to rescue Dr McMeekan. For four hours and a half they tried to heave the 17 stone scientist on to the yacht.

At first Dr McMeekan managed to cling to a railing on the yacht and the two men managed to pass a rope under his arms. The survivors later told the police they began flashing an S.O.S. signal into the darkness with a torch. No-one seemed to see this, so they fired two red distress flares.

Although the area is overlooked by the eastern lanes of the Auckland Harbour Bridge and flanked by the busy bridge approach roads, nobody seemed to see the flares. They fired a third flare but still there was no help.

Not strong enough

“No-one panicked—we didn’t give up trying but we just weren’t strong enough to pull him aboard,” they said.

Recovering today at his Meadowbank home, Mr Walls, aged 52, said he had made one trip ashore in the dinghy and was'rowing the others to shore when it began to sink. “We all swam back to the mooring lines and stayed there a few moments resting; the dinghy must have floated off,” he said. “We were more agile and younger. Mr Walker and I managed to climb back into the cockpit, but it wasn’t easy because it is a highwooded boat. Dr McMeekan tried to pull himself up but there just seemed to be no show.”

Ropes used

Darkness came quickly as Mr Walker jumped into the water once more and managed to get several ropes around the scientist. They got a rope ladder from a locker and put that over the side

but Dr McMeekan could not get his feet into it.

They tried running out the boom to use it as a hoist and also tried using the main halyard, but this kept slipping on the winch and they were unable to lift him over the side. Dr McMeekan had kicked off his trousers so that he could swim.

About 11 p.m. they saw the riding-lights of a yacht coming up through the moorings and they used the torch to attract it. The two men took Mr Walker on board and he went ashore to telephone for help. When they came back with more people on board they managed to lift Dr McMeekan into their yacht. He was taken ashore to where the police and ambulance were waiting. “I suppose he must have succumbed to cold and exposure—we were all warmly clad —but it was very cold in the water,” Mr Walls said.

His career

Dr McMeekan, C.8.E., Ph.D. (Cantab.), B. Agr. Sc. (N.Z.), was bom in Taranaki in 1908, educated at Stratford High School and graduated in agricultural science from Victoria College and Massey Agricultural College in 1931. From 1932 to 1939, he was lecturer in dairy husbandry at Massey College, but in the latter stages of this appointment he went to Cambridge for post-graduate research experience under Sir John Hammond. From 1939 to 1943, he was professor of agriculture at Canterbury Agricultural College, Lincoln. Over the next 19 years he achieved an international reputation through his leadership of the Ruakura animal research station of the Department of Agriculture, which, under his control, became the outstanding animal research centre of the world.

World Bank

Since 1962, Dr McMeekan had been the senior agriculturalist of the World Bank, responsible for initiating, appraising and supervising national agricultural development programmes in 20 countries.

His supervision of Ruakura’s 2000 acres had been extended to 20 million acres of world grasslands.

Dr McMeekan’s services as adviser were made available over the years to the Governments of a number of countries. The British Agricultural Research Society in 1957 awarded him the Underwood Fellowship. In 1958, Dr McMeekan was awarded the C.B.E. in recognition of his services to New Zealand agriculture. Dr McMeekan is survived by his wife, a daughter, and a son.

Candidate.— One of Social Credit’s original Parliamentary candidates, Mr G. Kerr, of Seddon, has again been nominated as the league’s candidate for the Marlborough seat in the General Election.—(P.A.)