THOSE who attempted to rescue the father and his two sons involved in the Tathra wharf tragedy two years ago have been recognised for their bravery.
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A Canberra fisherman last Friday received a Bravery Medal from the Governor General while four Tathra lifesavers were honoured with a Group Bravery citation.
On a cold, windy and overcast evening in November 2008, a tragic event left its mark on Tathra.
Four-year-old Riley and 15-month-old Travis toppled, in their pram, from the wharf into the sea.
Their father Shane O’Neill, from Kalaru, dived after them into the dark, choppy waters.
Robert Brown of Canberra, who was fishing from the wharf, heeded Mr O’Neill’s frantic calls for help.
He stripped to the waist and dived into the water where the desperate father was struggling to hold his eldest son above the water’s surface.
Mr Brown saw the younger boy in the pram and, against impossible odds, tried to free him. But the waves pounded and threw him against the pylons, causing him to lose his grip.
Mr O’Neill and his two sons died despite the courageous efforts of Mr Brown, as well as Tathra surf lifesavers Scott Meaker, father Tony Rettke and his sons Cameron, 23, and Shayne, 20, who also went to their aid.
There was hardly a dry eye at Government House in Canberra on Friday last week where Mr Brown’s bravery was recounted as Governor-General Quentin Bryce awarded him the Bravery Medal.
Ms Bryce thanked Mr Brown for what he did and what he stood for.
“Out of sadness, tragedy and loss is the inspiration that comes with the courage,” she said.
“We hope we might be able to do something like that one day ourselves, putting others in front of our self.”
The four Tathra lifesavers were awarded the Group Bravery citation.
Two of them that night jumped into the sea and gave Mr Brown a rescue tube.
The others searched for Mr O’Neill and his boys, dragging the children to a ladder and treating them on the wharf, and using an inflatable rescue boat to take their father to shore for resuscitation.
Lessons learned from tragedy
Tony Rettke, who recently was appointed the president of the Far South Coast branch of Surf Life Saving, said lessons should be learned from the tragic night include having lifesavers on duty wherever and whenever possible.
On the night of the wharf tragedy, he and the other lifesavers just happened to be in a meeting at the surf club.
Even so, it took the lifesavers just over 20 minutes to get the rubber duck out and to drive around to the wharf due to the unavoidable delays associated with any 000 call.
So he said it was vital to have either professional or volunteer lifesavers on duty to be able to respond as quickly as possible.
Mr Rettke said it was of grave concern that councils, including Eurobodalla Shire Council, were looking at cutting back on funding to professional lifesavers and he hoped the same did not happen in the Bega Valley.
It was an honour to receive the citation but the Tathra lifesavers saw it as not just their honour.
“It is a credit to Surf Life Saving Far South Coast and surf lifesavers around Australia,” Mr Rettke said.
“It could have been any of us, we just happened to get the call.”
See related drowning report story on Page 8.
