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Southland Times, Issue 22491, 28 January 1935, Page 3

Smart work on the part of Mr A. Poynter, a well-known orchestra leader in Christchurch, saved the life of a boy of about 12 years of age, at midnight on Saturday. Mr Poynter was helping to remove decorations from a boat which had participated in the river carnival when a canoe capsized in deep water about 20 yards away. The boy ; in the canoe was thrown clear and it : was evident that he could not swim. He disappeared from sight and as he came up again, Mr Poynter, who was fully dressed, plunged into the cold , water and seized the boy, who was . then sinking for the second time. A ; few smart strokes sufficed to bring the . lad to the bank, where he was hauled I ashore shivering with the cold and suffering from shock and the quantity of water he had swallowed. The rescue was performed so quickly that the spectators apparently did not realize that the boy was in serious danger, as there were a dozen people nearer than Mr Poynter and not one of them made a move to assist.