River tragedy remembered 80 years on

By Tim Howard

Grafton will relive one of its most tragic days – the drowning of 13 Cub Scouts in the Clarence River off Susan Island – on Sunday

On Sunday at 5pm, at roughly the time 80 years ago when a punt carrying 29 Cub Scouts capsized while returning the boys from a day of fun and activities on the island.

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In the ensuing chaos 13 of the boys – most not proficient swimmers – drowned.

Freelance author Peter Langston has researched the event and put together this description of what led up to and what happened after those frantic minutes.

“That Saturday – two weeks before a war Christmas in 1943 – the 1st Grafton Scout Troop was to have Christmas parties in different groupings on Susan Island, a long, reasonably narrow island in the Clarence River, between Grafton and South Grafton.

“The main group of boy scouts were engaged with scout master Ian Malcolm, while the younger group of cub scouts were enjoying fun activities like treasure hunts with their leader, 17-year-old Charlie Penn, who was a King’s Scout and had won every honour possible for his age in the scouting movement and was highly regarded in the general community.

“About 4pm, two scouting friends of Penn – Rex Oxenford and Jimmy Doust – swam across the Clarence from Oxenford’s grandfather’s place to Susan Island, to fulfil a promise to Penn and assist in bringing the cub scouts back across the Clarence in a punt owned by Oxenford’s grandfather’s company. The larger scout floodboat was unavailable, having been found to be unseaworthy due to vandalism the night before.

Part of the display commemorating the tragic drowning of 13 Cub Scouts in the Clarence River on December 11, 1943

“The majority of the cubs had come across the Clarence with Penn that morning. The punt was wooden, with a shallow draft. It was 4.9m long, about 1m wide at either end and slightly wider at the centre. The punt had no propulsion but oars and carried a passenger cargo of young boys wearing back packs and most wore leather shoes.

“The vast majority either could not swim or were hardly competent to tread water. Oxenford suggested two trips but Penn felt confident they could make one, as the water was calm, despite an approaching storm from the south-west.

“This proved true until the boat escaped the lee of the wind caused by the large trees on Susan Island and the water became choppy and the strength of the wind apparent. Penn had his oarsmen, Oxenford and Doust, point the craft into the approaching waves, but the craft was sluggish under the load and its freeboard was only three inches. (Freeboard is the distance from the water line on a boat up to the top of the side. It should have been seven inches.) Penn ordered Doust and Oxenford into the water to get behind the boat and push with their considerable leg power.

“Two things happened almost in unison.

“Some of the younger boys panicked at the sight of the older scouts going over the side and moved to one side as a larger wave broke over the boat and swamped it. In the ensuing panic, the boat capsized, throwing the remaining 29 boys into the water.

“Bowlers at the nearby green, including police inspector BH Baxter, heard screams but it took a few minutes to realise the boys were in trouble and not skylarking. They then raised the alarm, rushing to the shore and launching any craft they could find, borrow or even steal. Constable Anderson raised another rescue group from around the Crown Hotel. Meanwhile, the cubs turned to their older Scouts and splashed or dog paddled to them in any way they could, five and six clinging to them and sinking them to the channel floor.

“There were many heroes that afternoon but none more than Oxenford and Doust, who were in the water for more than 45 minutes effecting rescues and performing resuscitations on rescue boats, and Penn, who carried on despite near drowning.

“Fifteen boys were saved but 13 drowned, the last of them dragged from the water by grappling hooks until the head count was reconciled at 10pm.”

The Clarence River Historical Society has organised a lunch at the Grafton District Services Club from midday on Monday. where invited guests will hear addresses from dignitaries and perhaps from a survivor.

Mr Tranter said one of the two remaining surviving boys, local identity Fred Schwinghammer, had died recently and there was only one survivor of the tragedy still alive.

The sombre scene at the graveside in South Grafton when nine of the Cub Scouts who drowned in the Clarence River were buried. Photo: Clarence River Historical Society.

“We’re working with the family to see if he can attend,” Mr Tranter said earlier this month.

From about 2pm the commemoration moves to the river side and Memorial Park, where marquees will be erected for officials and guests.

Part of the service will be an account of Fred Schwinghammer’s life.

The culmination of the service will occur from 5pm, 80 years to the hour (allowing for daylight saving) from when the boat capsized.

The SES will take current Cub Scouts to the approximate point in the river where it occurred.

The names of the children who drowned will be read out and at 5.20pm wreaths will be placed on water:

• The boys
• Robert Wilkes, 10, Grafton.
• Allan Tobin, South Grafton
• Robert Rennie, 10, Grafton.
• Keith Rennie, 8, Grafton
• Dale Thornbourne, 10, South Grafton.
• Graham Corbett, 9, South Grafton.
• Cecil Lambert, 8, Grafton.
• Raymond Retchford, Grafton
• Allan Spicer, South Grafton.
• William Robert Dillon, South Grafton
• Brian Munns, South Grafton
• Raymond Morris, 8, South Grafton
• Richard John Steinhours, 8, South Grafton

The drownings and the revelations most of the boys were either poor or non-swimmers shocked the Grafton community.

Within weeks the Grafton City Council was discussing the need for a community swimming pool where children could be taught to swim safely.

But it was 10 years before a site for the pool could be agreed upon and another year before construction commenced.

The pool site is now a construction zone as work has commenced on building the $30 million Regional Aquatic Centre on the site.

The pool was closed in September 2022 when it was years of water leaks from the pool had made the pool sit unsafe.

For more local Grafton news, click here.