Ballina boating tragedy witness describes frantic rescue efforts

Wednesday 6 May

Two volunteers died when this NSW Marine Rescue boat capsized at Ballina. (ABC News)

In short:

A witness to a New South Wales boating accident that claimed three lives says he supported survivors to safety.

Marine Rescue NSW volunteers Bill Ewen and Frank Petsch and a yacht captain died in the heavy ocean conditions near the mouth of the Richmond River on Monday night.

The local NSW Marine Rescue unit commander says the tragedy is a reminder of the dangerous nature of their work.

A witness to a New South Wales boating accident that claimed three lives has given a harrowing account of what he saw.

A crew of six Marine Rescue NSW volunteers were thrown into the water at Ballina when their boat capsized as they went to the aid of a stricken yacht about 6:00pm on Monday.

Volunteers Bill Ewen, 78, and Frank Petsch, 62, did not make it to shore and died in the heavy sea near the mouth of the Richmond River.

The skipper of the yacht also died and is yet to be formally identified.

Frank Petsch (left) and Bill Ewen died when their boat capsized during the rescue. (Supplied)

Darragh Hunt was fishing on the southern breakwall as the drama unfolded.

“I heard a scream of ‘help’ and initially my reaction was [that] this is the person from the sailboat,” he said.

“So I dropped all my stuff and started running towards the two guys that had landed at the rocks, screaming for help: ‘He’s here, he’s here.’

“And then as I was running up the rocks, I saw another light and then I heard another scream for help.”

Darragh Hunt had been fishing and rushed to help as the tragedy unfolded. (ABC North Coast: Cath Adams)

Mr Hunt said he was “full of adrenaline” as he ran down to the two Marine Rescue volunteers who had scrambled onto the rocks of the breakwall.

“When I looked at them, I saw that they were wearing emergency response uniforms, so that’s when it clicked to me that it’s of course the rescue boat that went over and capsized,” he said.

“From there, I saw multiple lights scattered on the beach, so it clicked and I realised there could be multiple people washing up onto the beach.

“I ran about 50 yards along the beach, could see multiple spots of debris from the rescue boat, lights and stuff flashing, vests. Couldn’t see any humans.”

As he ran back towards the breakwall, Mr Hunt saw a man wading out of the water.

“So I ran over to him, put my arm around him, kind of helped him out,” he said.

“He was struggling to walk, very cold.”

‘The conditions were horrible’

The Ballina bar is notoriously dangerous when the sea is rough. (ABC North Coast: Hannah Ross)

Mr Hunt said he helped that man up the sand dunes and then returned to help the pair who had scrambled onto the breakwall.

“I helped them get up off the rocks. It was really steep and slippery. The conditions were horrible,” he said.

“They were covered in blood and stuff, so it must have been so tough for them.

“From there I could still hear people shouting for help and I was just screaming, ‘Stay calm, emergency services have been called, stay calm, stay calm.’”

Mr Hunt made another call to the police to advise them the rescue boat had capsized.

“I let them know straight away that this situation is so bad,” he said.

“It was a horrible situation, but fair play to the emergency services, they did an amazing job.”

An emotional Peter Hill speaks to the media after two of his colleagues died trying to help a stricken yacht. (ABC News)

Ballina Marine Rescue Unit Commander Peter Hill fought back tears as he paid tribute to his fallen colleagues at a media conference today.

“Bill [Ewen] loved getting on the boat, training or missions. You had to have a crowbar to get him off the boat,” he said.

“So he really, really loved it and we’re going to miss him terribly.

“Frank [Petsch] was a ‘yes’ man. If you needed anything done, Frank would say yes. He was a very strong man and it’s hard to believe he’s gone.”

‘A lot of grief’

NSW Marine Rescue Commissioner Todd Andrews described the tragedy as the “darkest night” in the organisation’s history.

He said he and his deputy had spoken with the families of the volunteers who died during the rescue.

“I can honestly say, in the 35 years that I’ve worked, [it was the] hardest day of my life,” Commissioner Andrews said.

“[The families] are doing it tough, they really are.

“It’s the most tragic of circumstances and these things are unexpected … there’s a lot of grief, it’s still very raw and they’re still coming to terms with it all.”

NSW Marine Rescue released a statement on behalf of Mr Ewen’s family.

It described him as “a devoted family man who was incredibly proud to serve his community as a member of the Marine Rescue Ballina”.

“We are devastated at the loss of a much loved husband, father and grandfather, but take comfort from knowing that he passed doing something he loved,” it read.

“We are so proud of him. Our thoughts are with the entire crew and families involved, and we extend our sincere thanks to the first responders.”

Tragedy a reminder of ‘dangerous’ volunteer job

Mr Hunt said he experienced “an unexplainable surge of emotions” during the tragedy.

“When you’ve got people screaming for help, and there’s essentially nothing that you can do … I don’t think it’s really set in too much,” he said.

“If there’s any family members of the deceased that would like to reach out and have a conversation with me, anything I can do to help and let them know what happened from my personal understanding because I was there, I would do anything to help the families.”

Marine Rescue volunteers at the scene of the Ballina boating tragedy that took three lives. (ABC North Coast: Hannah Ross)

Members of neighbouring Marine Rescue units visited the scene of the tragedy yesterday.

“We’re all very saddened by it,” deputy Evans Head unit commander Jim Roberts said.

“You don’t hear of many Marine Rescue people losing their lives as they go on duty, but it happens and it’s a very dangerous volunteer-type occupation.

“The bars on this east coast area are very treacherous … we’re always there for people and normally we get everybody back home safely. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen on this occasion.”

This floral tribute left at the scene of the Ballina boating tragedy carried a simple message: “So others may live”. (ABC North Coast: Hannah Ross)

NSW Emergency Services Minister Jihad Dib was among those who laid flowers at a memorial site on the breakwall today.

He drew attention to a tribute that carried a simple message: “So others may live”.

“In the worst of times, we see the best of people,” Mr Dib said.

“We’re standing here today to honour the best of our people.

“These are volunteers who go out into danger to do no more than to protect the community, [and] what we have seen is Frank and Bill have paid the ultimate sacrifice.”