PORT Macquarie woman Diane Irving, who survived a potentially fatal swimming accident at Town Beach earlier this year, has finally had a chance to say ’thank you’ to the two lifeguards who rescued her.
Diane met with the pair, council senior lifeguard co-ordinator Grant Hudson and lifeguard Darren O’Rafferty on Friday at Town Beach, where they were again on duty.
“I cannot thank you enough,” she told them, sharing a group hug.
Darren, who was just coming on duty at 9am at the time, says he will always remember that morning in April and looking out over the water and seeing someone “rolling around in the waves”.
“It caught my eye because it looked odd, and then a second later I saw the hand go up, and I just bolted straight down,” he said.
Diane was only in water less than waist-deep and Darren pulled her to shore, holding her carefully in the spinal position with her head supported. Meanwhile, Grant had fetched the spinal board and by the time Darren reached shore had the board ready. A man walking on the beach also rushed to help carry her.
In a stroke of luck, ambulance officers had been parked enjoying a cup of coffee in the top car park overlooking the beach. They saw the drama from on high and were there within minutes.
As a result of the accident, Diane underwent a major neck operation in which doctors fused vertebrae two to seven. Today she has restricted movement in her neck, but is back playing bowls, although swimming in the ocean is off her list of past-times.
She said she would have drowned if the lifeguards had not been there – and if they hadn’t handled her with such care, potentially a quadriplegic.
Delighted to see her again and looking so well, both Darren and Grant said her rescue was only one of many each season.
“Swimming in the ocean is nothing like swimming in the pool,” Darren said.
He urged people to follow advice to swim on patrolled beaches between the flags and heed warning signs.
“If you do decide to swim at an unpatrolled beach despite all the warnings, ask the locals for information before venturing in and to be extremely careful.
“While deaths on patrolled beaches are rare, the unpatrolled Shelly Beach has claimed at least two lives in recent years.”
Town Beach is patrolled by council lifeguards from 9am to 4.30pm every day from the September holidays through the April school holidays and during the peak Christmas period until 5pm. Council lifeguards also patrol Flynns Beach during the week. Flynns and a cross-section of other beaches are patrolled by volunteer surf-lifesavers during the season on weekends and peak holiday periods.
You can download a beach safety brochure on the council website, http://www.hastings.nsw.gov.au/www/html/4805-beach-safety
