Dad drowns saving son

A 62-YEAR-OLD Noble Park man drowned while trying to save his son on Saturday – one of three deaths on Victorian beaches in just a few hours.
The boy, 12, got into difficulty while swimming at Lorne beach, near St Georges River, about 12.30pm on 9 March.
Lorne Police Sergeant David Cooper ran to the beach when he received a call about the incident and arrived to see the boy struggling to stay above the water in heavy surf about 150 metres off-shore.
Another man was swimming out to the boy but was a long way off.
Sgt Cooper commandeered a surfboard from a beach-goer, stripped to his boxer shorts and handed the police radio to a girl standing nearby, informing her that she was his ‘comms’ person.
He paddled out to the semi-conscious boy and, with the help of the other swimmer, got him onto the surfboard and back to shore.
On the beach a doctor visiting from interstate administered medical treatment.
Sgt Cooper was getting his breath back when told there was a second person swept away in the rip – an older man who had gone to the boy’s aid before police arrived.
He ran along the beach and climbed onto a rocky ledge where he spotted a man floating face-down in the water about 150 metres off-shore.
Sgt Cooper struggled against heavy seas as he paddled out to him.
Two men on surfboards came to his aid, followed by Lorne Surf Life Saving Club members in a rubber dingy.
They managed to get the man into the boat, where Sgt Cooper commenced CPR.
A holidaying paramedic also started working on the man once they reached the beach and they continued their attempts to revive him for almost an hour, to no avail.
Sgt Cooper said he had done everything in his power to rescue the two swimmers.
“I will sleep tonight knowing that I did all I could possibly do to save both of the swimmers,” he said.
“It is sad that a family has lost a loved one but it could very easily been two deaths here today.
“I would like to sincerely thank everyone who helped on the beach today – Nick, I don’t know his surname, who was swimming out to the boy when I arrived and my ‘comms’ person, who’s name I didn’t get.”
Police will prepare a report on the drowning for the Coroner.
In a tragic day on Victoria’s beaches, on Saturday a Hampton Park man’s body washed up against rocks on Rye back beach just before 3pm and a 44-year-old Pakenham man died after rescuing a 10-year-old boy from the water at Golden Beach, near Loch Sport.