Who was Sergeant Peter Stone?
By coworkers who worked with him in the Blue Mountains, a police sergeant who drowned while trying to save his son on the NSW South Coast is remembered as a friend and a hero. On January 1st, 44-year-old Peter Stone swam out to save his 14-year-old son from a rip at a beach near Bogola Head in Narooma. However, Stone, a specialist police rescuer, was carried out to sea by the rip and drowned after his body was brought back to shore by lifeguards. We commemorate the death of a husband, father, and hero as we grieve our partner, said Don Faulds, the superintendent of the Blue Mountains Police Area.
Peter “had committed his professional life to assisting the community and had a true enthusiasm for rescue operations, particularly here in the harsh alpine terrain,” Faulds said of Peter. “His coworkers thought of him as a mate because he was always quick, if not the first, to offer his help or assistance around the command. “. Just after 1:30 on Sunday, paramedics were called to Bogola Beach and started CPR on Stone. Surf lifesavers did not patrol Bogola Beach but responded quickly to a distress call. Stone was discovered in the water by a helicopter sent from nearby Moruya, and surf lifeguards pulled him from the rip without any luck.
He and his family were on vacation close to Narooma. Considering how well-liked Sergeant Stone was by everyone who knew him, NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb said: “We are not surprised by his selfless actions.” At this incredibly sad time, my sympathies are with Peter’s wife, family, friends, and coworkers. The NSW Police Force has suffered a devastating loss with his passing.
As people flocked to beaches across the state after Christmas, Surf Life Saving NSW reported performing nearly 1000 rescues.
Each summer, rips—dangerous currents that move out from the shore and drag swimmers away from beaches—cause numerous fatalities along the east coast.
Tuesday afternoon, a second father perished while attempting to save his daughter from a rip in the area of Forster. At around 3 p.m., emergency services were called to Back Beach in Black Head, about 25 km north of Forster, in response to reports that a man had been pulled from the water unresponsive. The 42-year-old male entered the water after his daughter got caught in a rip, according to the police, who were informed of this.
The man was unresponsive when he arrived at the beach, so the surfer carried the girl to shore before going back for him. Police reported that until paramedics from NSW Ambulance arrived, members of the public gave CPR, but the man was unable to be revived. Inquiries by the police are continuing, and a report will be written for the coroner’s information.
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