grant
18-06-2007, 12:36 PM
Extract from Paper
2 saved in boat drama
A MAN and his 13-year-old daughter have helped save two fishermen after a boat crashed in a channel near Geelong.
Michael Newman and daughter Maddison, along with two police officers, took their boat out into dark waters in search of the fishermen, who had hit a channel marker in Corio Bay about Sam yesterday.
They pulled the men from their sinking vessel and took them to an ambulance waiting on shore. "Something had to be done and it was lucky I arrived when I did," Mr Newman said. The two fishermen, in their 30s, are recovering in Geelong Hospital with facial injuries.
The drama began when the two men left on a fishing expedition near Limeburners Point.
Police spokesman Sgt Dave Spencer said the fibreglass boat hit a channel marker, injuring both men. One of the men was able to make a 000 distress call, alerting police. Sgt Spencer said two police officers drove down to the Limeburners Point boat ramp, where Mr Newman was about to launch his boat.
They boarded the boat with him and his daughter and began the search. Mr Newman said it took about 20 minutes to find the damaged boat. "We put the light on them and they were both just bleeding everywhere,"
he said. "
One of the guys was trying to bail the water out and the other guy was just sitting there in a daze."
One of the police officers, Sen-Constable Brendan Whitefield, then boarded the men's boat and helped them into Mr Newman's boat.
Sen-Constable Whitefield stayed with the damaged boat while Mr Newman took the men to shore.
A Coast Guard boat soon arrived but the fishermen's damaged boat began to sink, leaving Sen-Constable Whitefield and a Coast Guard member treading water.
They were taken to shore by the Coast Guard while Water Police saved the sinking boat. The fishermen were in a stable condition at Geelong Hospital last night.
Mr Newman said they could have been in far greater danger if help hadn't arrived when it did.
"Initial reports were that they weren't that bad but five or 10 minutes longer and I reckon they would have been passed out," he said.
"They were really struggling in the end." Mr Newman said the fishermen were not to blame for the accident.
"They were on the right side of the channel and the channel marker actually didn't have a light on it." he said.
2 saved in boat drama
A MAN and his 13-year-old daughter have helped save two fishermen after a boat crashed in a channel near Geelong.
Michael Newman and daughter Maddison, along with two police officers, took their boat out into dark waters in search of the fishermen, who had hit a channel marker in Corio Bay about Sam yesterday.
They pulled the men from their sinking vessel and took them to an ambulance waiting on shore. "Something had to be done and it was lucky I arrived when I did," Mr Newman said. The two fishermen, in their 30s, are recovering in Geelong Hospital with facial injuries.
The drama began when the two men left on a fishing expedition near Limeburners Point.
Police spokesman Sgt Dave Spencer said the fibreglass boat hit a channel marker, injuring both men. One of the men was able to make a 000 distress call, alerting police. Sgt Spencer said two police officers drove down to the Limeburners Point boat ramp, where Mr Newman was about to launch his boat.
They boarded the boat with him and his daughter and began the search. Mr Newman said it took about 20 minutes to find the damaged boat. "We put the light on them and they were both just bleeding everywhere,"
he said. "
One of the guys was trying to bail the water out and the other guy was just sitting there in a daze."
One of the police officers, Sen-Constable Brendan Whitefield, then boarded the men's boat and helped them into Mr Newman's boat.
Sen-Constable Whitefield stayed with the damaged boat while Mr Newman took the men to shore.
A Coast Guard boat soon arrived but the fishermen's damaged boat began to sink, leaving Sen-Constable Whitefield and a Coast Guard member treading water.
They were taken to shore by the Coast Guard while Water Police saved the sinking boat. The fishermen were in a stable condition at Geelong Hospital last night.
Mr Newman said they could have been in far greater danger if help hadn't arrived when it did.
"Initial reports were that they weren't that bad but five or 10 minutes longer and I reckon they would have been passed out," he said.
"They were really struggling in the end." Mr Newman said the fishermen were not to blame for the accident.
"They were on the right side of the channel and the channel marker actually didn't have a light on it." he said.