January 28, 2013 12.00am It was the first fatal shark attack in Sydney since 1963, when actress Marcia Hathaway died from bite wounds while standing in Middle Harbour. By Stephen Wynn-davies For Mailonline and Kylie Stevens For Daily Mail Australia, Published: 10:57 BST, 16 February 2022 | Updated: 16:32 BST, 16 February 2022. I started to kick the shark and beat it with my fists, most of the struggle is a blank but I remember at one time the shark was between my legs and I seemed to be straddling it.. But to add to their unbelievable bad luck, the ambulance broke down - forcing more than a dozen men to attempt to push the vehicle up a steep hill before conceding they would have to wait for a second ambulance. Post The scenes were just as confronting for emergency service workers and lifeguards who were deployed in boats, rescue helicopters and on jet skis during a frantic search for the swimmer. We had been in the water for about five minutes and I was about 12 to 15 feet away from Marcia with my back to her. "The water was stained with blood and I never thought I would get her away from it. For other inquiries, Contact Us. The tragic star, who worked extensively in theatre and on Sydney radio, is best known as the last person to be killed by a shark in the Australian city nearly six decades ago. We had been in the water for about five minutes and I was about 12 to 15 feet away from Marcia with my back to her," Knight later recalled, as quoted by Mosman Collective. },false) Randwick Council announced on Wednesday night that Malabar, Maroubra, Coogee, Clovelly and La Perouse beaches would also be closed for 24 hours while council lifeguards looked for any further sightings of sharks. Another man can be seen in the video fishing off the rock and watching on as the attack played out. Despite her local success, the tragic star was - up until now - best known as the last person to be killed by a shark in the Oz city some 59 years ago. That victim was Marcia Hathaway, a glamorous local radio and theatre actor, who died after being savaged by a bull shark in less a metre of water close to shore at Sugarloaf Bay, in Middle Harbour. "Credit:Staff photographer. I have seen men die, but I have never seen anyone as brave as Marcia, I think the last words she said to me were, Dont worry about me dear, God will look after me'.". 'There is a long term trend of an increasing number of shark bites in Australia and overseas,' Dr McPhee told The Project. endstream endobj 17 0 obj <> endobj 18 0 obj <> endobj 19 0 obj <>stream For other inquiries, Contact Us. We are all in shock.". This is a terrible tragedy, the first fatal shark incident in Sydney for decades. Don't worry about me, dear. 'Our fear is really, it's driven by guts. It's very, very upsetting. } Give it a try, you can unsubscribe anytime! I think at one stage I had my foot in its mouth. I started to run to her and saw the fin of a shark. Miss Marcia Hathaway, a well-known Sydney actress, was fatally mauled by a shark in Middle Harbour, yesterday afternoon. She was attacked by a bull shark in just 30 inches (76cm) of water as her fianc and friends watched on in horror. He told the Guardian Australia: "Everyone was looking around, trying to work out what was going on. At 1:30pm, the critically injured actress was placed in an ambulance, which then broke down while navigating the steep track from the harbour. eventAction: 'render' Don't worry about me, dear. Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group. Police said they would work with the state's Department of Primary Industries to investigate the circumstances of the swimmer's death. I started to kick the shark and beat it with my fists, most of the struggle is a blank but I remember at one time the shark was between my legs and I seemed to be straddling it.. To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. The comments below have been moderated in advance. A report will be prepared for the Coroner. 'Our entire community's hearts go out to the family of the victim.'. An ambulance met the victim at Mowbray Point, but the dying woman's fate was sealed when the ambulance broke down. When I reached Marcia, it struck again and seized her on the thigh. The MP for the state electorate of Maroubra, Michael Daley, went to the scene on Wednesday evening. 'Footage clearly shows a body, half a body being taken by a shark,' a police officer told colleagues over a scanner when human remains were found an hour later. The swimmer's remains were found in the water a short time afterwards, New South Wales Police confirmed. 'We heard a yell and turned around it looked like a car had landed in the water, a big splash then the shark was chomping at the body and there was blood everywhere.'. A successful Sydney actress, 32-year-old Marcia was well known on stage and screen, but it was her final role, as the last person to die of a shark attack on Sydney Harbour, that she is remembered for. I have seen men die, but I have never seen anyone as brave as Marcia, I think the last words she said to me were, Dont worry about me dear, God will look after me.. I kept hold of Marcia and kept trying to drag her away from the shark, Frederick told the Sydney Morning Herald after the attack. Close associates of Miss Marcia Hathaway last night described her as a brilliant and versatile actress and a "deeply religious person". AS glamorous actress Marcia Hathaway toasted her engagement with her fiance on the shoreline of a Sydney bay, little did she know the horror that awaited. SMH NEWS Picture by STUBBS The 700-year-old Coronation chair that has been used for the crowning of King Charles has 'jeopardised' the monarchy by meeting European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, Do we get our 87p back? 'It seemed to have grabbed her on the calf of her right leg. She said she thought she had been attacked by an octopus. Emergency services were called to Buchan Point in Sydneys east at around 4.30pm on Wednesday following reports a shark had attacked a swimmer in the water. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. It felt soft and spongy. To inquire about a licence to reproduce material, visit our Syndication site. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), He just went down for a swim, enjoying the day, but that shark took his life.'. One such method is to deploy drones which scan the water and send images to an artificial intelligence computer which can accurately spot sharks. . 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The cops said:"Officers attached to Eastern Beaches Police Area Command, with assistance from the Marine Area Command and Surf Life Saving NSW, attended and located human remains in the water. I am shaking. Actress Marcia Hathaway is stretchered into a waiting ambulance after a fatal shark attack in 1963. "Then I heard her scream. "I tried to reassure Marcia and told her that the shark had just brushed past her. Marcia Hathaway: Tragic star was Sydneys last fatal shark attack victim 59 years ago. Archived reports from the 1960s reveal the happy couple had recently become engaged and had chosen Middle Harbour for a picnic over the Australia Day long weekend. Little did they know the playful bet would prove fatal. Thebank that won't pass on rate rises unless you ring and ask:Just one of the ruses greedy lenders use to Meghan Markle was 'hugely disappointed' by life in the royal family and as a 'global superstar' she 'hated Twitter is DOWN: App crashes for thousands of frustrated users around the world. Shocking footage shows the predator thrashing around in the ocean and dragging its victim underwater as the sea turned red with blood, sparking panic on shore. - Mosman Collective, Do not sell or share my personal information. 'I just saw a four to five metre (13ft to 16ft) great white explode on the surface just here on a swimmer and it was like a car landing in the water. The Sydney Morning Herald published details the following day of the gallant fight her fiance, Frederick Knight, put up to try and save her. They reportedly caught the beast they believed killed the actress and put it on display for the public. eventAction: 'click_image_ads' Property News:House prices in some school catchments explode by up to $367,000 - domain.com.au, Your web browser is no longer supported. As she bled out, Marcia was hauled aboard another boat, with an ambulance meeting her and Frederick at Mowbray Point. Mr Nellist, a certified diving instructor, was attacked just after 4:30pm on Wednesday. Miss Hathaway died 20 minutes later from her terrible injuries and shock. This week, Sydney reported its first fatal shark attack since Hathaway's death 59 years ago when Simon Nellist was mauled to death by a 4.5-meter shark. Australia's coastline is more than 16,000 miles long and around 170 of the 400 species of sharks inhabit Australian waters. Police will liaise with the Department of Primary Industry to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of the swimmer. It's the first fatal shark attack in Sydney since 1963 when actress Marcia Hathaway, 32, was mauled while on a boating trip in Sugarloaf Bay in Middle Harbour. Another shaken witness recalled how the swimmer was dragged under the water by the shark, with the attack lasting just several seconds. Not really by any data or any sort of realistic estimate of what the actual risk is. The shark almost tore off her right leg.. Her last words, published in The Courier Mail on January 29 under the headline Actress Dies: Fiance Fights with a Shark, were: Dont worry about me, dear. Her last words were published in the news the next day. The shark pounced while she was standing in murky water only 20 feet from the shore in the northern arm of Sugarloaf Bay, Sydney Morning Herald reports. Regarded by locals as one of the best kept secrets in Sydney's east, the beach was packed with dozens of swimmers, paddle boaders and rock fishermen at the time. 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EXCLUSIVE - Revealed: Carol Kirkwood's secret toyboy fianc - 13 years her junior - is a divorced police 'Digital antidepressants' to be rolled out on the NHS as health bosses give eight apps and web-based therapy BBC journalists vote 'overwhelmingly' to stage series of strikes in move that could sabotage corporation's 'This is the most ridiculous thing I've seen!' if(document.querySelector("#google_image_div")){ Nearby boat owners who witnessed the scene used sheets from beds on board to maketourniquets. There are also personal deterrents which work by emitting an electrical pulse but these have the be used within metres from a shark to be effective. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. From 2010 to 2020 there were 220 and in 2021 there were three deadly attacks reported in Australia. It was January 28, 1963, when Marcia Hathaways young, promising life was snatched away by a bull shark in an attack that left Sydney shocked. And then I heard her call out I think an octopus has got me.", Knight couldn't believe his eyes as he saw his lover being dragged under the water by a bull shark. Sugar Loaf Bay. hVn8ylpy) (8N\k7? January 28, 1963. In the footage, a fisherman can be heard shouting 'someone just got eaten by a shark'. Parts of a wetsuit were also recovered. He MUST seize it, starting with the Budget, writes ANDREW NEIL. The latest tragedy comes after the death of a father and son rock fishing at the same site two weeks ago. View our online Press Pack. The man told ABC: "He was yelling at first,and then when he went down there were so many splashes. The 4.5m shark attacked its victim, believed to be a 35-year-old man from Wolli Creek, at Buchan Point, near Little Bay in Sydney 's south east about 4.30pm on Wednesday in the city's first fatal. The critically injured actress was stretchered in an ambulance, which then broke down while navigating the steep track from the harbour. Sydney this week reported its first fatal shark attack since Marcia's death almost six decades ago. Shark attack Sydney Harbour 1963 It was soft and spongy.. New South Wales Police said in a statement:'An investigation into the swimmer's death is ongoing, and Little Bay Beach is closed as officers continue to search the area.'. victim of shark attack in Middle Harbour 28/1/63.". It felt soft and spongy," Mr Knight said. She was dragged from the water at Sugarloaf Bay in Middle Harbour by her fiance but did not survive the wait for an ambulance which broke down on the way to the scene. window.googletag.pubads().addEventListener('impressionViewable', function(event) { It seemed like 10 minutes to me while we struggled, but it could only have been a couple of minutes. But fate hadnt finished with Marcia Hathaway just yet. When I reached Marcia, it struck again and seized her on the thigh. It happened so fast and I could not see much in the water. She died on 28 January 1963 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. at Sydney's Little Bay Beach yesterday, actress Marcia Hathaway was the last person to be killed by a shark in the city in 1963. Peter and his son Mahan, 10, were fishing on a rock face at Little Bay on the last day of the school holidayson January 31 when they were dragged into the water by a freak wave. 'Footage clearly shows a body, half a body being taken by a shark,' a police officer told colleagues over a scanner when human remains were found an hour later. }) 'He was yelling at first, and then when he went down there were so many splashes,' he told the ABC. I pray Rishi Sunak succeeds so as HENRY DEEDES: Wowee was he pumped! A report would be prepared for the state coroner, a spokesman said. 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