Mates nominated for Pride of Australia award after fishing boat capsizes off Yorke Peninsula

LIFELONG friends and keen anglers Dean Lines and Keith Petras believed their most recent fishing trip together would be like any other.

LIFELONG friends and keen anglers Dean Lines and Keith Petras believed their most recent fishing trip together would be like any other.

But what was meant to be a relaxing late afternoon fishing off Yorke Peninsula in March 2013 almost ended in tragedy, when their boat capsized off Stansbury after the gentle water turned rough.

Mr Lines, 76, decided to try to swim for cliffs about 4km away while Mr Petras, 78, clung to the boat’s motor and battled six-foot-high waves.

Both believe they would have died had it not been for the quick thinking of another friend, Ron Brundell, and have nominated the Stansbury man for a Pride of Australia medal in the Outstanding Bravery category.

He had contacted the pair earlier in the day and knew they were still out fishing when the weather turned.
The alarm bells started to ring when they failed to appear back at shore and didn’t return radio calls, so Mr Brundell launched his own boat with son Jeff, while his grandson Rhys went to the cliffs with binoculars to direct them by radio.

“It was a nice calm day when we left, it was just beautiful,” Mr Petras said.

“But the wind changed and gradually it got rougher and rougher. Instead of heading to Stansbury, we headed towards a cliff about 4km away to get to shelter.”

Mr Brundell went to his friends’ usual fishing spot and they weren’t there, but in a stroke of luck, he and son Jeff spotted Mr Lines swimming and managed to pull him on-board their boat.

“I was getting cold, I’d gone past the point of shivering, I had thought this could be it. Had it been a couple of minutes later it could have ended a lot worse,” Mr Lines said.

Soon after Rhys spotted Mr Petras in the distance waving his life jacket and he was also soon plucked from the water.

“I have no doubt that if it wasn’t for the quick thinking of Ron and him getting everyone else involved, we wouldn’t be here,” Mr Petras said.

Mr Petras’ wife Pamela, Mr Lines’ wife Judy, and Jeff’s wife Veronica also played crucial roles, liaising with the Coast Guard.

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