Horrified children see parents swept away to deaths

A MAN'S effort to save his wife in dangerous surf has ended in tragedy.

HUDDLING together next to a sand dune, the three Sherry children watched in horror as their parents drowned in the surf on South Ballina beach.

The weather was deceptively beautiful on Tuesday night. It had been a hot, sunny day in the northern NSW town. At the unpatrolled, isolated beach, just a short walk from the caravan park where the Sherry family were staying, the large swell and the cool, inviting water hid dangerous rips and rough conditions.

Further north, two popular patrolled swimming beaches were closed because of the dangerous surf.

Police believe the two younger children, Nicholas, 9, and Elise, 14, were swimming just before 7pm. Soon afterwards, their mother, Carol, went for a dip. It is believed she was quickly swept out to sea in one of the many rips that swirl off the beach - mostly used by horse riders, fishermen and for four-wheel-driving.

Her husband, Joseph, 42, leapt into the sea to save his 44-year-old primary school teacher wife, who was yelling for help, but police believe the chef and TAFE teacher was taken by the powerful rip.

Their two younger children raced to get help - Elise phoned police and Nicholas ran to the caravan park and found its night manager. It is understood the night manager pulled Mr Sherry to the shore and administered CPR until the ambulance arrived.

Garry Meredith, captain of the Ballina jet rescue boat service, arrived soon afterwards with his crew, and a rescue helicopter flew overhead.

The chopper quickly spotted the body of Mrs Sherry in the white water. Mr Meredith's crew jumped out of the boat and attempted to revive her, but it was too late.

When they arrived, Mr Meredith said he could see the couple's children sitting on the beach.

"They were tucked up under the dunes, sitting together," he said.

"At one end of the beach, they could see their dad being worked on, and then their mum being pulled up onto the beach at the other end."

The children, including eldest daughter Monique, 17, who suffers from autism, were taken to hospital on Tuesday night, where they were treated for shock and trauma. They are staying with relatives on a farm at Cawongla, a small town between Nimbin and Kyogle, west of Ballina.

Elise yesterday phoned family friend Connie Iocano, who lives next door to the Sherrys in Theresa Park in southwest Sydney. "Elise just phoned up and was crying and said 'Mum got into trouble and Dad went in to try and help her'," Mrs Iocano said.

Carol and Joe moved to semi-rural Theresa Park from suburban Liverpool just over a year ago to give their children "a fresh start", Mrs Iocano said.

Forty-eight people have now drowned in the nation's rivers, beaches, lakes and swimming pools since Christmas Eve, compared with 24 deaths last summer.