The angels of luck

TODAY'S cover story is a tribute, of sorts, to the lifeguards who perform some extraordinary rescues on Australian beaches each year.

TODAY'S cover story is a tribute, of sorts, to the lifeguards who perform some extraordinary rescues on Australian beaches each year.

It's also a story about luck - that the right people were in the right place when young McKinley Deer got into trouble in monster surf at Sydney's Palm Beach in January. Some 55 people drowned on our beaches last year and you just have to read journalist Will Swanton's story to be reminded how quickly it can happen. Will saw the drama unfold and, with the help of McKinley, his family and his rescuers, has crafted a gripping account of a life lost and then saved.