AVIATOR DENIS ROOK

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16377, 27 June 1927, Page 7

AVIATOR DENIS ROOK

EXPERIENCE WITH SHARKS DARWIN, June 16. James Street, a former purser on the steamer Radio! Cohen, of which Denis Rook, who is now flying to Australia in a Moth aeroplane, was captain, writes as followsßook is a man of astounding courage and apparent y utterly devoid of fear. Some of his exploits as an airman during the war were hair-raising. An instance of % his courage that I can vouch for, having seen it, is the following. The Rachel Cohen was anchored off a small port on the north-west coast when Rook dropped a spanner overboard which he valued. The water was ns clear as crystal, and we could see the spanner at the bottom, about, ahout 30ft. down. There were scores of sharks, some of them monsters toft. long, swimming about the ship. Rook dived down among them and got the spanner. The sharks gathered about him, and one monster nosed right up against him. Rqok struck it. on the nose with the spanner and the lot fled. Rook s only remark when he reached the deck was that the water was delightfully cold at the bottom.”