| [Index] |
| Philip South COLLIN (1916 - 1946) |
| Children | Self + Spouses | Parents | Grandparents | Greatgrandparents |
| Philip South COLLIN (1916 - 1946) | John COLLIN | |||
| Ethel Blanche RYDER (1892 - 1960) | Tom Thomas Pulleine RYDER (1867 - 1913) | Robert RYDER (1835 - 1900) | ||
| Mary Sarah POPPLESTONE (1834 - 1884) | ||||
| Annie Susan CROXFORD (1867 - 1940) | George CROXFORD (1832 - 1892) | |||
| Sarah MIDDLETON (1836 - ) |
| b. abt 1916 |
| d. 18 Aug 1946 at Cairns, Queensland, Australia aged 30 |
| Cause of Death: |
| shark attack |
| Parents: |
| John COLLIN |
| Ethel Blanche RYDER (1892 - 1960) |
| Siblings (1): |
| Gwendoline Edna NEWTON (1926 - 1994) |
| Events in Philip South COLLIN (1916 - 1946)'s life | |||||
| Date | Age | Event | Place | Notes | Src |
| abt 1916 | Philip South COLLIN was born | 18 | |||
| 18 Aug 1946 | 30 | Philip South COLLIN died | Cairns, Queensland, Australia | 1947/C164 | 18 |
| Personal Notes: |
|
Cairns Post 25 Sep 1946
SHARK FATALITY ELLIS BEACH ATTACK EVIDENCE AT INQUEST. A detailed account of the shark attack at Ellis Beach on Sunday, August 18, which caused the death of Phillip South Collin, storeman packer employed at Cummin & Campbell Ltd., Cairns, was given in the Coroners Court before Mr. W. E. McKenna, S.M., yesterday. The witness was Harold Swinburne, of Draper-street, who was closer than any other person to Collin at the time of the attack. Swinburne stated that at about 3 pm 50 of the party, including Colin, went in for a swim. After I had been about ten minutes in the water, I saw the deceased throwing a tennis ball." said witness. "I was on the northern side of the crowd in about the centre of the swimmers. Deceased was about four yards from me, further out to sea, I was about 40 yards from the beach. The ball was thrown to me, threw it high in the air above the swimmers, and it landed 12 to 15 yards, out to sea from me, so it was about 55 yards from the beach." Witness added that he was about to go out for the ball when he saw the deceased ahead of him. He did not appear to be a very good swimmer and I called out I'II get the ball Phil.' Deceased replied, 'Its all right, I'II get it.'" . Witness said he stopped and watched Collin swimming out. I saw him put his hand out for the ball, than there was a swirl and a splash and Collin disappeared," con- tinued witness. "A couple, of seconds later he re appeared and called out " 'Swinny, Swinny, shark. He was looking straight at me. I would be about 10 yards from him. GREAT POOL OF BLOOD. "I prepared to go to his assistance, but I was stopped by: Mr. Jack Sel- lars. There was a great pool of blood round the deceased. He seemed to be trying to push the shark off. ' Witness said he noticed four to five feet of the shark's tail upright in the air, then it seemed to roll on its side. WAS BRONZE WHALER. Swinburne declared the shark was; a Bronze Whaler. It would be at least 16 feet long judging by the length of its tail. He was of the opinion that the shark grabbed Collin round the waist. Witness added: The deceased dis-appeared again. About five seconds later he reappeared about a yard from the original spot. His intestines came right up above the water. The deceased had been bitten in half or disembowelled. He appeared to be lifeless. He dis- appeared again and came up in eight or nine seconds and floated, face upward, about 10 yards away. I am convinced be was dead then. He floated for some seconds, then something seemed to get hold of him and he disappeared finally,!' Witness added that he saw the shark only once about 3.15 p.m. He was con-vinced no good purpose would have been served had he gone to deceased's aid. He considered Mr. Sellars was instrumental in saving his life. SELLAR'S EVIDENCE. John Palmer Wallace Sellars, quali- fied life-saver who, with Hector Boyle, also a qualified life-saver, was a guest at Cummins St Campbell's staff picnic, said he went in at the southern end of the swimmers, 12 to 15 yards from them on the seaward side. "I noticed several of the swimmers playing with a ball I was 12 to 15 yards on the south seaward side when I saw two men swimming out to sea. One stopped a few yards out and the other whom 1 know now as the de-ceased kept on swinuning out. 'The ball would have been 12 to 15 yards from the party of swimmers, 50 to 60 yards out to sea. "The thing that attracted my atten-tion was that the man was a "weak swimmer. 1 kept watching him. Just before he reached the ball my atten- tion was attracted elsewhere. Then I heard the call of 'Shark' from the bathers. "I swam over to them to make sure they were moving out of the water. My thoughts were on the deceased. I turned and saw him as though he were treading water with a pool of blood around him. Everyone else but Swinburne was leaving the water. I told him to get out. He said "No, he's my cobber. Boyle, who had been on the beach keeping watch over some children swimming, was coming into the water then. 'I reálised that the only way to help, the deceased, without a line, was for two strong swimmers to go out to him." Witness said he then heard de-ceased's cry of "Swinny" and he saw the tail of a shark upright in the water beside deceased. The water in which witness and Swinburne were standing was between hips and armpits. Witness said he was convinced the second time deceased came up that he was dead. Sellars saw the third attack and dis-appearance of deceased's body. "I am certain nothing could have been done for the deceased, who died almost outright after calling 'Swinny, Swinny." 1 stopped Swinburne and several others from going out, because I noticed swirls around the area and 1 considered the shark, or sharks, was still there." he added. "A swimming man can do nothing against a shark attack." MR. McKEWEN'S STATEMENT. I am satisfied that nothing, could have been done to save Collin's life or to recover his remains, and that Sellars is a very brave man to have stayed in the water as long as he did and see that every other member of the party got safely out of the water. If he bad not remained as calm as he did I feel that other lives would have been lost," said the manager of Cummins and Campbell Ltd., Mr. Stanley Elmer Mc Kewen, in a statement regarding the fatality. Mr. McKewen was unable to attend the inquest. He saw the incident from the beach, his statement said. Two life savers and an Ambulance bearer had been invited to attend the picnic, to safeguard the picnickers. EXHIBITS AT INQUEST A white webbing belt, an exhibit at the inquest. Plain-clothes Constable W G. Mason said, was found at Ellis Beach on August 25, by a woman who noticed it on the beach where she was chasing sand crabs. It was shown to Mrs. Collin, who said it was similar to the belt her husband was wearing with his trunks. The ball exhibited, Mason said, was found on the beach by Sellars and others shortly after the fatality, about 50 yards from the scene. Mason detailed searches made by the police and a RA A F. Catalina and crash launch, and said that none of them had been successful in finding Collin's remains. The Inquest was closed. The witnesses were examined by Sub-Inspector Martin Elford. Urges* Street Werks ' The Cairns City Council at a special meeting yesterday afternoon gave con- sidération to the question of urgent rosé and street works for which toe council proposes to . borrow £ttJ00. The engineer (Mr. F. R Morris) sub* mitted complete plans and speetti« cations fer work, involving an espea dlture of £10,060 and ft was áSSSt that application be made to (th* Trea- sury fer this amount, being portion éf the £23,800. . ' |
| Source References: |
| 18. Type: E-mail Message, Abbr: e-mails general pool, Title: e-mails general pool |
| - Reference = Annie Richards 17 May 2015 (Death) |
| - Reference = Annie Richards 17 May 2015 (Birth) |