Families grieve for loved ones lost – – HARBOUR TRAGEDY
Higgins, Ean; Wilson, Lauren; Additional reporting: Anthony Klan; Stapleton, John; Madden, James. Weekend Australian; Canberra, A.C.T. [Canberra, A.C.T] 03 May 2008: 5.
Show highlighting
Abstract
Ms [Ashlei Ayres] died instantly in the accident shortly after 2.30am on Thursday along with American social worker Jessica Savanna Holloway, 25; Stacey Wright, 21, a bar worker at Balmain’s Unity Hall Hotel in Sydney’s inner-west; Alex Rumiz, 22, a barman at theClock Hotel in Surry Hills, in Sydney’s inner-south; and Elizabeth Holder, 20, a Balmain hairdressing apprentice. Alex Nikakis, 29, a [A Balmain] local, died of severe brain injuries in Royal North Shore Hospital 14 hours after the accident.
“His father who lives in Queensland has come down to be with Jarad and last night the pair stayed at the [Watson]’s Bay Hotel, and Jarad’s mother who lives in Balmain has returned from holiday,” Jarad’s housekeeper Fay Stevens said from his Balmain home yesterday.
“He’s panicking. He’s saying `I’m drowning I’m drowning’ and (we picked) him out of the water and he was just in shock. He didn’t know where he was,” Mr [Sam Oweck] said.
Full Text
A MOTHER of two was last named as the sixth victim of one of Sydney Harbour’s worst boating accidents, as police began interviewing survivors and witnesses to the tragedy.
Two “heroes” who pulled survivors out of the water and attempted to resuscitate others injured when their half-cabin cruiser collided with a fishing trawler gave statements to police yesterday.
Police also named the last victim to be formally identified: single mother of two Ashlei Ayres, 32. “Ashlei’s family has asked NSW Police to say she will be deeply missed by relatives and friends,” officers police.
Ms Ayres died instantly in the accident shortly after 2.30am on Thursday along with American social worker Jessica Savanna Holloway, 25; Stacey Wright, 21, a bar worker at Balmain’s Unity Hall Hotel in Sydney’s inner-west; Alex Rumiz, 22, a barman at theClock Hotel in Surry Hills, in Sydney’s inner-south; and Elizabeth Holder, 20, a Balmain hairdressing apprentice. Alex Nikakis, 29, a Balmain local, died of severe brain injuries in Royal North Shore Hospital 14 hours after the accident.
Tributes flowed in from grieving friends of the dead. Known affectionately as “Pondy” on his social networking site, Mr Nikakis was described by Aidan Montano, an old friend from Balmain High School as, “a true Balmain Boy”.
Mr Rumiz was described as a “kick-ass bartender” who loved life, music and his mates. On his MySpace page, Mr Rumiz’s headline was “Choose Life”.
Strikeforce Condor is investigating the circumstances surrounding the collision between the small commercial boat, driven by Matthew Reynolds, and the trawler, Jordon’s, piloted by experienced fisherman Peter Evans. The accident happened near Bradleys Head, off Taronga Zoo as the group’s boat was returning from Watson’s Bay, near the harbour’s South Head.
Mr Reynolds, who remained in hospital yesterday, had with a friend invited 12 other people to go on a trip on a boat licensed to carry eight passengers. Before going on the harbour, the group had been in the Commercial Hotel on Darling Street, Balmain, marking a changeover of management.
Included in the party was the out-going manager of the Commercial, Gene Robson. Mr Robson was yesterday questioned by detectives by the side of the ill-fated commercial boat. He refused to speak to the media as he left the NSW Police Marine Area Command at Balmain. He appeared pale and distressed.
After almost an hour of questioning, Mr Robson broke down in tears and was comforted by a female companion. It is understood that Mr Robson is related to Sydney’s Doyle family of restaraunteurs and hotel owners whose main enterprises are at Watson’s Bay.
There are links between the Doyles and several of those who went out on the boat, some of whom had worked at the Commercial Hotel.
Sharon Doyle is married to the outgoing owner of the Commercial, lawyer Doug Lawman, and she was involved in the hotel’s management. Neither of the couple would speak to The Weekend Australian.
The Watson’s Bay Hotel, owned by one arm of the Doyle family, was the sanctuary initially chosen by the parents of one of thesurvivors, Jarad Chivers, to comfort him.
“His father who lives in Queensland has come down to be with Jarad and last night the pair stayed at the Watson’s Bay Hotel, and Jarad’s mother who lives in Balmain has returned from holiday,” Jarad’s housekeeper Fay Stevens said from his Balmain home yesterday.
“Jarad’s been up to Balmain police station and gave a statement today, it’s shocking.”
Relatives and friends of most of the other survivors described them as too traumatised to speak with media. An exception was Michael Tsimnadis, who told the Nine Network of the horror. “I was just in pitch black, I was screaming for help and there was no help coming,” he said.
The two men described as heroes for helping in the rescue operation were identified yesterday. Sam Oweck told the Seven Network he and Nasser Farache helped pull Mr Tsimnadis from the water.
“He’s panicking. He’s saying `I’m drowning I’m drowning’ and (we picked) him out of the water and he was just in shock. He didn’t know where he was,” Mr Oweck said.
“We jumped in there (the runabout), and there were bodies everywhere.”
Mr Tsimnadis said Mr Reynolds was in a fit condition to drive the boat. “As far as I know the driver of the boat, the impression I got from him was that was his job and he was in work mode.”
Chloe Dickey, 18, who suffered two fractures, one in the base of her neck and the other at the top of her spine, remained in hospital last night.
A person who knows her family said Ms Dickey was out of danger, and was “getting back on her feet”.
VICTIMS
KILLED INSTANTLY
Jessica Savanna
Holloway, 25
An American social worker
from Texas. She had been working in the Northern Territory helping African refugees settle in Darwin.
She was in Sydney en route to the US to visit her grandparents
* Stacey Wright, 21
A bar worker at Balmain’s Unity Hall Hotel in Sydney’s inner-west. Originally from Wollongong, south of Sydney
* Elizabeth Holder, 20
A Balmain hairdressing apprentice
* Alex Rumiz, 22
A barman at the Clock Hotel in Surry Hills, in Sydney’s inner south
* Ashlei Ayres, 32
A mother of two
DIED LATER IN HOSPITAL
* Alex Nikakis, 29
A Balmain local. He died of severe brain injuries in Royal North Shore Hospital 14 hours after the accident
SURVIVORS
* Matthew Reynolds, 31
A former contractor for the company that owned the runabout, Ship Repairs & Engineering. Believed to have been the skipper of theboat at the time of the accident. He remains in RNSH in a serious but stable condition with a spinal injury. He was originally from Tweed Heads in northern NSW
Chloe Dickey, 18
Suffered a fracture and was
released from RNSH yesterday
* Also injured but released from hospital were:
Commercial Hotel manager Gene Robson, 30; pub employees Percy Small, 24, and Edmund Renew, 21; and pub patrons Jarad Chivers, 19, Chudlau Thanawat, 21, and Michael Tsimnadis, 32