SHOOTER DROWNED

Wairarapa Times-Age, 7 May 1940, Page 6

SHOOTER DROWNED

TRAGEDY AT LAKE ONOKE MR A. H. WARREN LOSES LIFE. VICTIM FALLS FROM SPEED-BOAT Tragedy marked the opening of the duck shooting season in the Wairarapa this year, as yesterday a well-known Pirinoa resident, Mr Arthur Holmes Warren, lost his life when he fell out of a speed-boat on Lake Onoke and disappeared. Search parties have not so far recovered the body. It appears that Mr Warren had been shooting on Lake Onoke with Mr Hugh Swainson. licensee of the Lake Ferry Hotel, earlier in the morning. The two men then returned to the hotel and Mr Warren took out his speedboat, as he intended to use it last evening. He picked up a wounded swan and brought it to Mr Swainson, stating that he had seen another swan and would endeavour to secure it. Although Mr Swainson is reported to have told him not to bother about it, it is believed that Mr Warren might have overbalanced from the speedboat in an effort to secure this swan. He was seer, in the boat about 200 or 300 yards from the shore, not far from fne outlet, and the next minute it was noticed that the boat was empty. Mr Swainson immediately put out in a bout to the place where Mr Warren's hat was rloating on the water but no sign of Mr Warren could be seen. There were 12 or 14 feet of water at the scone of lhe mishap and as Mr Warren was wearing heavy waders he had little ar no chance of saving himself. The outlet of the Lake was practically closed at the time and it is not thought, that the body has been washed out to sea. The accident occurred about 10 a.m. The speed-boat, which was running at lhe time of the accident, sped round in circles for a period and then took a northward course.

The late Mr Warren, who was about 40 years of age, was a well-. known resident of Pirinoa, where he was a prominent stud stock breeder and farmer. He is survived by a widow and a son of seven.