School rowers heroes in rescue attempt

by Belinda Feek, Wanganui Chronicle on 22 Mar 2006 Watching an elderly man slump – possibly to death – hasn’t put his rescuers off getting in the water.

Wanganui twins Anthony and Peter Toy, 15, were with a number of people at the Aramoho Wanganui Rowing Club when 75-year-old Peter Thomas Munson had what appeared to be a heart attack while rowing.

The Wanganui City College Year 11 students said they watched him slump forward then tip his boat over. “We looked at him a couple of times and there was no movement, and then everyone else went to open the Aramoho shed to get the coaching boat out. I thought I would go to him before that and ended up just diving into the water,” Peter said.

A Wanganui Collegiate student, who had an injured arm, had the same idea and reached Mr Munson before he did.

While the pair tried to turn the boat over, they spotted Mr Munson’s feet still trapped in the boat.

As they watched, the feet fell away.

Peter said he wasn’t disturbed by the sight, and his first instincts were to dive down after him.

They both dived down into the murky water several times in vain to find the man, but couldn’t see even the tips of their fingers.

On shore, Anthony had boarded the coaching boat with his rowing coach, Peter Smith.

They thought Mr Munson, from Wanganui, was on the other side of the boat when they approached, and were a bit shocked to find he had floated off.

The pair said they had no qualms in trying to help rescue the man and praised all the other people involved.

“I’d do it again, gladly,” Anthony said.

For other story: www.wanganuichronicle.co.nz/localnews/storydisplay.cfm?storyid=3677253&thesection=localnews&thesubsection=&thesecondsubsection=

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