Drowned friends remembered 60 years on

Brenda Collins remembers her father, who drowned in a boating accident. PHOTO/ STUART MUNRO

On December 2 in 1956 nine men set out from the Waitotara River mouth to go fishing and only four survived.

Sixty years later their friends and families are invited to an all-day vigil at Waiinu Beach to remember them.

The vigil is organised by John O'Connor and Brenda Collins. They are the children of one of the drowned men, Brian O'Connor. John was just two when his father died, and his mother was six months pregnant with Brenda.

In the years since then John O'Connor has sought to find out more about his dad. He and his sister Brenda Collins returned to the Waitotara coast last year, for a river mouth vigil. Mr O"Connor swam from the sea into the river mouth, they had a memorial service and released balloons.

This year's memorial will be bigger, drawing in the families of others who died and Constable Thomasen, the police officer at the time. Mrs Collins lives in Whanganui and placed a public notice in the Chronicle.

She was "blown away" to be contacted by the only one of the nine men still alive, Teddy Tamou, now a fit 87-year-old living in Gonville. His name had been spelt Lamou in the newspaper report of the time.

Mr Tamou is to be the guest of honour on December 2.

"He wants to tell the story," Mrs Collins said.

The December 3 1956 Chronicle records that the other men in her father's boat were Mr Tamou, Bing Apou and Paul Bush. None of them could swim well. So when the boat was overturned by a wave as it crossed the Waitotara River bar Mr O'Connor swam to shore to get help while they clung to the boat.

He never made it. They found his body when the boat was washed ashore about half an hour later. They tried to resuscitate him, but could not.

After that they tried to warn the second boatload of fishers from the area that headed out that day. That boat contained Graham Meads, Maurice and Keith Lupton, Malcolm Myhill and Walter Rosewarne.

It was also overturned by a wave on the bar, but not until its return in the evening. Graham Meads, helped ashore by Alan McConachy, was the only survivor. The bodies of two of the other men were only recovered later.

It was a terrible day for the Waitotara/Waverley community, and Mrs Collins becomes tearful when she speaks of it. Others who have contacted her about the vigil have wanted to tell her their stories.

She's not sure how many will show up on December 2, but she and her brother will be there from dawn to dusk.

They are to spend the Thursday night at the Waitotara Hotel, get to Waiinu Beach at 6.30am and set up a pergola and seats on the grass. Many of those attending will be elderly, and there will be quad bike rides toward the river mouth during the day.

Lunch, with some food provided, will be from 11am to 1pm. At 5 there's a ceremony, when people can talk about their memories and wreaths for each family are to be set afloat on the sea. The day ends with drinks at the Waitotara Hotel at 7.30.

Anyone who wants to know more can contact Mrs Collins by emailing collins08@xtra.co.nz, or ringing her in the evening on (06) 343 8338 or 021 072 3717.