Waikerie drowning victim, 9, identified as Cyrus Buck as desperate bid to revive him revealed

Lifeguards worked tirelessly to try to revive a young boy after he was dragged from Waikerie Swimming Pool unconscious on Saturday, but he died a short time later.

A SafeWork SA inspector at the scene where a young boy drowned on Saturday, December 4. Picture: Tom Huntley

The close-knit Waikerie community has rallied around the family of the “gorgeous little man” who tragically drowned in the town’s public pool on Saturday.

The victim has been identified as 9-year-old Cyrus Buck.

Waikerie resident Louise Thiel launched a fundraiser — without naming the boy — for his parents and three older siblings on Monday, hoping to raise $5000 toward funeral costs.

In less than 24 hours, more than $7700 was donated — with an additional $1000 contributed by the Waikerie Lions Club.

Ms Thiel said the family, who she did not identify, had been “warmed by the outpouring of love” not just from the Waikerie community, with a population of just 2600, but the broader public as well.

In an emotional post on the GoFundMe site, Ms Thiel described the boy as a “gorgeous little man” and said the generous donations had given the family “one less thing to worry about” as they prepared to farewell their son.

“I am blown away by the generosity of people and honestly don‘t have the words to express how this makes me feel,” Ms Thiel wrote.

Lifeguards desperately attempted to revive the young boy after he was dragged from Waikerie Swimming Pool unconscious on Saturday afternoon, but he died a short time later at Waikerie Hospital.

Cyrus Buck, who drowned in the Waikerie Community Swimming pool. Picture: Facebook

The Waikerie community has had an “outpouring of love” for Cyrus’ family after his death. Picture: Facebook

Waikerie Primary principal Megan Higgins and Waikerie High principal Craig Griffiths issued a joint statement saying the school communities were “deeply shocked and saddened by the unexpected tragic death of one of our students” and offered condolences to family and friends.

“As a small, tight-knit town, the loss of any student is extremely upsetting and impacts everyone within the community,” they said, adding counselling was being made available.

“We have been in contact with the family and expressed our support during this difficult time.”

Belgravia Leisure, the company that operates the pool for Loxton Waikerie District Council, said in a statement that a “fully-trained lifeguard immediately removed him from the water and worked tirelessly with the team to administer CPR until emergency services arrived”.

“However, we were later saddened by the news that the boy had passed away,” the company said.

“We will be offering any support that we can to the boy’s relatives and friends during this difficult time and we are also working with council to provide support to the wider community.

“We will also be offering support to our team members at the centre who are shocked and saddened by this incident.”

It is understood the incident was not related to the large inflatable water playground installed at the swimming pool.

The Waikerie Primary School student has been remembered as a ‘gorgeous little man’. Picture: Facebook

SafeWork SA inspectors at the scene where a young boy drowned on Saturday, December 4. Picture: Tom Huntley

Belgravia Leisure said “aquatic inflatable installations” were “featured across a number of public pools”.

“Installation is determined by thorough risk assessment process and the capacity for the venue to adhere to the very strict manufacturer installation requirements. Where safety cannot be prioritised inflatables are not used,” it said.

The Waikerie Pool reopened on Tuesday with reduced hours for the remainder of the week, with a spokesperson thanking the community for their patience and understanding in the wake of the tragedy.

SafeWork SA, which Belgravia Leisure notified of the death at 5.15pm on Saturday, has launched a preliminary inquiry - with an inspector and an investigator attending the site “to make inquiries” on Sunday morning.

To support Cyrus, donate to the GoFundMe page here.