Praise for police in dramatic rescue
Published: July 8, 2005
FOUR Nowra police officers have been hailed as heroes after rescuing a 13-year-old boy and a 21-year-old man from treacherous surf at Shoalhaven Heads on Wednesday afternoon.
The officers put aside concerns for their own safety as they dove into the swirling water to rescue both the boy, who was swept 150 metres out to sea by a strong rip, and a surfer who got into trouble while trying to help.
The drama unfolded about 2pm when 13-year-old James van der Meer was swept into the surf.
He had been playing in waist-deep water just metres from where his father, Sean Ryan, was fishing.
“He got knocked over by a wave, then, to my horror, he started to get swept out,” Mr Ryan said.
He went into the water to try to help James but was taken in a different direction by the rip.
Strong currents meant Mr Ryan could not get closer than about 40 metres to his son, who was a strong swimmer, and Mr Ryan said as he saw James start to make his way in, he also headed for the shore.
“I was in a bit of difficulty myself at that stage, so I headed back in,” he said.
“I could see he was going okay and I wasn’t going okay.”
Police arrived on the scene minutes later, and Mr Ryan said he was “horrified” to learn James had again been swept out, and was about 150 metres from shore.
Senior Constables Paul Nancekivell and Kelly Thomas comandeered a surfboard and body board and used them to paddle out to where James was floating on his back.
The police officers praised the young autistic boy’s calmness, which they said made the rescue much easier.
“He was remarkably calm,” Senior Constable Nancekivell said.
While James had been in the water for close to 30 minutes, the rip had released him and he was simply floating on his back, conserving his energy while waiting for help.
As the two officers brought James back to shore, a young surfer, Luke Hewitt of Culcairn, who had been assisting with the rescue, also got into difficulty.
Constable Alison Molyneux swam out to him and helped keep his head above water while taking his board beyond the white water.
After being helped from the water Mr Hewitt was airlifted to Shoalhaven Hospital and treated for shock and vomiting from the seawater he swallowed.
A police officer for only 18 months, Constable Molyneux said the cold water and treacherous conditions added up to “a pretty tough time”.
While waiting for Senior Constable Nancekivell to arrive and help them back into the shore, Constable Molyneux kept talking to Mr Hewitt, telling him “Look at me, stay with me, and go under when I do.
“It’s hard when someone’s depending on you that much,” she said.
All four officers praised the teamwork that saw Senior Constable Nick Drennan remain on the beach to coordinate the rescue.
And all praised the training they had received.
“It’s just policing, we do it every day,” Senior Constable Thomas said.
Inspector Bill Carter said he was “very proud” of his officers for the way they worked together to achieve what needed to be done.
“It’s all about ordinary people doing extraordinary things,” he said.
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