Lucky near-miss for father and son carried away on Elizabeth River

AS a powerful current carried Peter Chandler and his young son rapidly downstream through crocodile-infested waters, he was all too aware they might not make it

Peter Chandler with his son Harrison, 10, at the Elizabeth River boat ramp where the incident happened. Picture GLENN CAMPBELL

AS a powerful current carried Peter Chandler and his young son rapidly downstream through crocodile-infested waters, he was all too aware they might not make it.

Fishing on the Elizabeth River with sons Harrison, 10, and Jackson, 22, last Wednesday afternoon, near-tragedy struck when the family’s boat approached the ramp a little too fast on the westerly side – throwing Harrison overboard on contact.

Before the former CLP minister realised what had happened, the fast-flowing incoming tide had already swept Harrison metres downstream.

“My heart just sank – it was sheer panic,” Mr Chandler said.

Peter Chandler holds son Harrison tight after their brush with death in the Elizabeth River. Picture: GLENN CAMPBELL

“I saw his body being sucked under the pontoon and then you just couldn’t see where he was, and he didn’t come up on the other side.

“It was probably about eight metres from where he first went into the water that he came back up.

“I jumped straight into the water, swam to him and caught hold of him, but we were still very much in trouble because the current was moving so swiftly and it was pretty choppy water.”

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Fortunately, the pair had company other than the crocodiles known to inhabit Elizabeth River.

Two men retrieving their own boat spotted the father and son and quickly relaunched to reach them just in time, but the strong current prevented them from stopping the motor.

As Mr Chandler and his son clung to the side of the boat “for dear life” and struggled to keep their legs away from the propeller, the fishermen powered out into deeper water – where they were finally able to drag the pair on-board and to safety.

Harrison said the experience had been “very scary” and made him worry about going back out on the water

“He got a big gash to the top of his head … his fingers were all torn apart and he had cuts on his feet,” Mr Chandler said of his son. “It was pretty traumatic for him.”

But he said the story had luckily had a happy ending and he was deeply grateful to the two men who had come to their aid.

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“I don’t know how much longer I could have kept us both afloat for, in that choppy water and with the current moving so quickly,” he said.

“If it wasn’t for those blokes, we wouldn’t be here to tell this story.”

Mr Chandler said the incident should serve as a reminder to Territorians to be careful of Mother Nature.

“It doesn’t matter how many times you’ve done something, you’ve still got to be careful – don’t be complacent,” he said.

“I’ve been in the Territory for over 35 years, I’ve fished for most of that time, but something can happen in the blink of an eye.

“And, you know – hug your children.”