‘Please brother’: Best mate expresses heartbreak for lost fisherman at Port Kembla’s Hill 60

Friends and family have spoken of their heartache as the search for a teenage angler swept off the rocks at the Illawarra’s notorious Hill 60 on ANZAC Day continues. 

The best friend of a man swept off the rocks at a notorious Illawarra fishing spot has spoken about his heartbreak as the search continues to locate him.

Berkeley man Chase Barbaric, 24, was rocking fishing at Port Kembla’s Hill 60 with his friend, Brendan Buxton-Hurd, 19, at around 3.45pm on ANZAC Day when a freak wave knocked the younger man into the ocean.

“I’ve been fishing here for two or three weeks straight,” Mr Barbaric told The Daily Telegraph.

Rescue efforts continue after Berkeley man Brendan Buxton-Hurd (inset) was swept of Port Kembla‘s Hill 60 on ANZAC Day. Picture: Dylan Arvela

“The waves were horrendous. We had our gear back on the rocks so we were chucking out [our lines] and if a wave would come we would run back to the rock.”

Mr Barbaric said the waves flung his friend “20 or 30 metres in 10 seconds” as he tried in vain to save him.

“I’ve got no voice now,” Mr Barbaric said.

“I was just screaming ‘Brendo, please brother, swim to shore’.

“I even tried to chuck my rod out and hook him, I tried to get the buoy out to him and I stripped down to my underwear and fell in.”

PolAir and dye bombs were being used to help locate the missing man on Tuesday. Picture: Dylan Arvela

The 24-year-old sustained cuts all over his body and was taken to Wollongong Hospital as a precaution, though he was back out at Hill 60 early on Tuesday morning where he said it would be the mental injuries that would be the hardest to overcome.

“Before I go to sleep I can just picture the wave hitting him and him going in,” he said.

“I just want him back, he’s one of the nicest blokes I’ve met in my entire life.

“He looks after all of his brothers and sisters, he has 10 brothers and sisters, I can’t even comprehend it – I woke up this morning and just started crying.”

Mr Buxton-Hurd’s family have set up a GoFundMe to fund funeral expenses.

“I miss him terribly I can’t imagine living my life without him,” his mother Tracey Hurd said on the page.

“My heart is broken, I have nine children, soon to be 10 and I don’t have any money to put my sweet boy to rest.

“He was the life of the family always made me laugh, I’m at a loss. He had a heart of gold its important we see him off the best way I can, I have no money and doing it hard at this point in time

“I’m hoping people will help me lay him to rest so he can fish in heaven with the rest of the family.”

Tony Mojanovski, 50, was walking his dog in the area when he saw the unfolding situation and tried to assist.

Tony Mojanovski was worse for wear after trying to help save Mr Buxton-Hurd. Picture: Dylan Arvela

“I came to walk my dog, but unfortunately it all unfolded and I tried to help, but I got washed up on the rocks too,” Mr Mojanovski said.

“We got washed up on the rocks, I just was trying to hold on to my dog while trying to help the kid out.”

Mr Mojanovski was rushed to hospital with a broken shoulder and multiple cuts, while his dog was “shaken up, but alright”.

The Warrawong man said people need to be careful when going out on the rocks.

“The winds were bringing up the swell,” he said.

“When that happens you don’t fish there, if the waves are breaking you don’t fish there, stay away, make a decision, your life depends on it.”

Dozens of rescue personnel were on site on Tuesday morning, however, Superintendent Craig Iredale indicated the chances of finding Mr Buxton-Hurd alive were slim.

“A massive rescue effort has been underway ever [Monday afternoon],” he said.

“It went until dark yesterday and resumed first thing this morning. It involved the police, the water police, PolAir, Surf Life Saving, Marine Area Command and the SES – a whole host of rescue agencies.

“We have a very good chance of finding him, but the chances of finding him alive are very slim you’ve got to take into account he’s been in the water for some time.”

Superintendent Craig Iredale speaking at Hill 60 on Tuesday morning as a PolAir chopper search for the missing man in the background. Picture: Dylan Arvela

Supt Iredale confirmed the anglers weren’t wearing life jackets and described the conditions as “treacherous” though he warned even quieter waters could prove deadly.

“This area is notorious for rock fishers being hit by random waves,” he said.

“When fishing on the rocks we urge people to wear life jackets and take precautions.

“Conditions were a little bit on the treacherous side, but it doesn’t matter, that’s the trap people fall into, the conditions can seem calm and a freak wave can come at any time.”