HAUMOANA TRAGEDY.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 14 January 1929, Page 4

HAUMOANA TRAGEDY.

BOTH BODIES RECOVERED

DETAILS OF THE ACCIDENT,

Tlie body of Roy Oxbrow, the second victim of the drowning fatality at Haumoana, Hawkes Bay, last Thursday, was recovered on Sunday. Fears that the two little sons of the Rev. and Mrs. AV. J. Oxbrow, of Hastings, had been drowned at Haumoana on Thursday morning were confirmed by the discovery of the body of the older boy, Len, aged twelve, in the breakers, about two miles on the Napier side of the Tukituki rivermouth at 4.45 o’clock on Friday morning, states a Hawke’s Bay exchange. The tragic discovery of Friday morning was made by Messrs. Norman Mo Farlane and J. Atesty, who., together with five other volunteers from -seaside cottages at Haumoana. had searched the neighbourhood till 12.30 a.m. and again from 4 a.m. The most credible theory of the manner in which the boys met their death is that the younger of them fell into the water while fishing, and that the other boy made a vain attempt at rescue. Neither boy could swim. There were four children in the family, three boys and a girl, Len and Rov being the two youngest.

The lads, who were staying with their mother at Haumoana, decided to go fishing on Thursday morning, and intended trying their luck in Tukituki River. Both took -bathing suits. In order to reach the part" of the river where they intended fishing the boys had to go across the Black bridge to the Clive side, a distance of about two miles.

No anxiety was felt until the boys had not returned at 7 p.m. About 9 p.m. the eldent boy of the family, in which there is one other child, a'girl, took a- boat and rowed across the lagoon, where he found Len’s clothes on the bank near the mouth of the Tukituki:

At 10 p.in. a search party, consisting of Messrs Vestry, McFarlane, Dnnnett and Painter, went out and the whole of the surrounding area was explored ' without success. The river was running swiftly at this point and as both boys were wearing bathing suits under their clothes, it is thought the younger lad fell into the current and the other, stripping off his clothes, went in after him, both being drowned. A double funeral was held yesterday, residents of the district showing their sympathy by a large attendance and by sending many floVers. EXPRESSIONS OF SYMPATHY. The bereavement suffered by the Rev. AY. J. and Mnsi Oxbrow formed the .subject of appropriate reference at yesterday’s church services at Hawera., where Mr Oxbrow was formerly the minister of the Methodist Church:. Congregations at both diets of worship at the Methodist Church; [signified sympathy to rising in silence, and special prayers were offered, a similar' procedure being followed at . Norman by during tb© afternoon service there, Prayers for the comfort of the bereaved family were also offered! at the three services' held at St. Mary’® and the two services at St. John’s and the Baptist churches respectively, while a resolution of sympathy was carried by the evening congregation at the Salvation Army Citadell.