SURF TRAGEDY.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 5218, 19 December 1927, Page 4

SURF TRAGEDY.

CHEEKS AND TEARK.

“BRAVEST THING T EVER- SAW.”

“ I’ve seen a few brave. deeds in my time,” sAid an eye witness of the drowning fatality at Cloveflly, says a Sydney paper, “but never in my life /have I seen anything to equal the heroism and dogged icourage shown by those lifesavers.”

“ More conspicuous than the others, I suppose, because his part was .played in the clear presence of- thou sands, who lined the cliffs, was the a ction of Ron. Slater. Time and the heavy sea, dashipg against the rt >cks, wrenched the drowning man front his hands. Time and again he struggled to recover him. 1

“ Who could remain unmoved In the presence of such a starring deed ? The crowd lining the shore igreefted his. every attempt with a. wild burvt of tears. Frivolous girls who, > all too commpnly, are. said to lack the finer’ qualities, looked' on with tear-stream-ed cheeks. For them, too, tjiere was no giving in. As the surfe r lost hi s •man witli the breaking of fjach heavy roller they vainly shouted put, urging him to renew his efforts.

“But the odds, were too overwhelming. The swimmer apparently was fast losing strength, wffiij.e the sea was gaining in fury. At las t a terrific storm swept the droAvuing man from his arms.

“It was not till he hai l definitely lost him that the rescuer thought of his own life. Then there; commenced his own battle against the raging sea. Again and again he;- was seen to be making strenuous eff.'or ts to swim out of the seething cauldr on. Again airl again he was sucked back, and, seemed exhausted, wau seen to throw his arms back and flo at in ith® trough of the sea as if sf teking a minate respite.”