NEAR TRAGEDY

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 21923, 18 January 1946, Page 4

NEAR TRAGEDY

SWIMMERS IN TROUBLE

TOKOMARU BAY INCIDENT

WOMAN RESCUES CHILDREN

But for the action, of a young married woman, Mrs Tichbourne, two children might have lost their lives on Tuesday when they got into difficulties while swimming in the sea at Tokomaru Bay. Mrs Tichbourne in rendering assistance narrowly avoided drowning, but four men assisted her to safety.

The children, Barbara Malcolm,’aged 12. and Hilda Collier, aged 11, were swimming together when the elder of the two became out of her depth and could not make the shore. The younger girl went to her assistance, but she. too, got into difficulties in the .strong current.

There were no adults on the beach and in response to the cries for assistance Mrs Tichbourne, who was nearby, went to the aid of the girls. As she was bringing them both to shore one girl became excited and the three swimmers again got into difficulties. The two children were sufficiently close to the beach to reach safety. Four men went to the assistance of Mrs Tichbourne, who was carried further out, ■ and she was finally brought to shore in an unconscious condition. One of the men who rescued her, Constable C. Cooper, applied artificial respiration and revived her after some effort. The other rescuers were Messrs J. Elliot, S. White and M. Ross. Mrs C. Collier, mother of one of the children, who also went to their assistance, is a non-swimmer and after an unsuccessful attempt only just managed to regain safety. Mrs Tichbourne, who is the mother ol three children, stated later that it was the thought of her children that gave her the strength to keep going before help carne to her.