Death, heart attack

Press, 11 October 1979, Page 6

Death, heart attack

PA Auckland Minutes after plucking a friend from the sea near Great Barrier Island yesterday afternoon, an Auckland man suffered a heart attack and died. He was WILLIAM CHARLES RIDLEY, aged 59, retired, of Riverw’ood Road, Panmure. Senior-Sergeant A. R. Meurant said a party of seven were on a fishing expedition near the island. About 15 minutes out from Port Fitzroy two persons left the launch and tried fishing from a small dinghy. In a sudden squall about 3 p.m. the dinghy was swamped and the two fish-

ermen tossed into the water. Mr Ridley, at the helm on the launch, immediately sped in his craft towards them and rescued both persons. One was a Tauranga man. With the whole party on board, the launch returned to Port Fitzroy. Other members of the party, noticing the launch was travelling fast, checked the controls, and found Mr Ridley collapsed over the wheel, A distress call was sent to the police through Auckland Radio, and a doctor set out for Port Fitzroy in a Sea Bee Air amphibian at 3.15 p.m. Before the doctor

reached the island, however, the police on the island advised the Auckland police control that Mr Ridley had died. They asked that the amphibian should not be recalled as the Tauranga man. plucked from the sea by Mr Ridley a few minutes earlier, was himself suffering serious heart problems. The rescued man, who, it transpired, had earlier had open-heart surgery, was flown back to Auckland and taken to Auckland Hospital.

He was treated in the coronary-care unit yesterday. No condition was available late last evening.