Thirroul Surf Club sandcrab Sandon Small who rescued a man caught in a rip.
Sandon stands tall
February 03, 2010
Section: News
HEATHER SMITH
TEN-year-old Sandon Small of Thirroul has grown a foot in stature since he rescued a man caught in a rip at Berrara Beach last month.
The 32kg Thirroul Public School student was holidaying with his family at the nearby caravan park and was out paddling his board when he heard Peter Litsas, a 41-year-old from Bankstown, calling out for help.
“He yelled out ‘hey, give me a hand’,” Sandon said. “He threw me his boogie board rope and I dragged him in.”
Sandon had been using his short fibreglass board for only two weeks and his mother, Kim, said it was unstable at the best of times.
“It’s like paddling a fence post,” she said.
But Sandon, who has been a nipper with the Thirroul Surf Life Saving Club since he was five where his dad, Ian, is an age manager, called on his training.
“I pulled him close to me then I would paddle further in, then pull him again,” Sandon said.
“I was a bit worried I wouldn’t make it but I didn’t want to give up – I realised how important it was.”
Life saving, as it turned out.
Mr Litsas said his story could have ended in another family tragedy similar to recent drownings in the same area. “I’m a big boy – 115kg – and I was out of breath,” he said.
Mr Litsas, his fiancée, Christine Mace, and her son-in-law, Andy Encinas, were aware of the rip and had only gone in waist deep.
“Andy had joked that he didn’t want to come in and rescue me before I went out,” Mr Litsas said.
“I caught a wave into shore but another two took me back out again. It was one wave in and two waves out and I was getting sucked further and further out.
“I got so tired and my legs were cramping so I started waving for help and Christine and Andy came in to try and save me but they got sucked out, too.”
Two men managed to save them.
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