1969 School Magazine

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curt, And glitt'ring iewels around r?re swirl. A figry colt ol peacock blue, Witb flowlng ffiane of emerald ltue, Rears up beneath ffi€, arcd I, Witb wid'ning eyes turned to the sky, Drawn closer to the heauing flanks -' Of surging depths, as ranki on ranks Qf frgnzied steeds, all in rny wake, Speed neaer tiring'till doth break The spangling sliuer of the moon Upon the waters.. ro that soon T o my own place I ntust return. The dashing beasts, they seethe and churn And to the utaters blue recede The Sea, it is rfty owfi. indeed.

-AMANDA GREAVES S"uogd**d es* g$^dddd sesses lhll Uo, f,."or." a Suti'ti. tlrr, Clrrirt*o, ? statistics again show that those who mess

I shudder ro think of the rimes, I've seen boats leaving -Vo-olq olaba harbour, overcrowd.J and with small children not *"rtirrg lifeiacl;tr. cornes ^ 4^y when the current and r.-rr in opposi- tion and things aren't so simple for the *rr^ iut o goes offshore in a srnall rig. Count the number of accidents close to river irouths. Then il;e;; about the boar, lifejackets, experience urta th; load carried. chances of a broach ate very real. some powerboats - fine forard and flat aft - are nor exactly oceanworthy. And it's almost certain that once capsized some boats could not be righted because of the engine and position of flotation. rt's all very well to tell newcomers to throw a rope across the keel when capsized and to hang on until rescued but wouldn't it be more sensible to have sornething besides a slick bottom to hang onto ? Better still have a lifejacket on when con- ditions are bad. Unfortunately no matter what seamen may advise, people will still be drowned. It may be a part of living which may be rreated lightlv bv some, but I'm not too proud to wear an approved lifejacket. Are you? .,MAyDAy,, (vrA)

round in boats or surf ate {.at too careless. Drowninsr have become the accepted thing around the Australian coast and ; hardenei public merely glances over the details with little more than a shug. Not so those directly affected! \)fhen death comes close to horne the only thing ygq shug off is cornplacency. Every p.mon who uifles with the sea's affection m,rci b. prepared to flirt with death on occasion. Those *io iri{le without preparation rnake the headlines. Even the strongest swirnmer can be eligible for a para- graph on the back and front pages. To survive on the roads and at sea it is necess ary to have good judgement, to be able to a-ssess yoqr capabilities honestly and to compare them with conditions. You may be a strong swimmer but -the sea is always stronger. Boating_hur-_not been exempt from drowning accidents. Headlines have underlined the r..J for more care in selecting and using both sailing 1n4 power boats. It is most signific ant that no- body hur- been lost from sailing- craft engaged in organi-sed racing, even ocean racing. CrEws and officials ate geared and mained fJr almost any ernerggncy and they seldom ger into bother. Jusl lea4 the safety regulations for yachts .o*p.iing in the Brisbane ro Gladstone Race or foi thal rnatter regulations for small sailing craft on the rlver.

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