Five Hours’ Swim

Another Kennedy Escapade

Major d. g. Kennedy, dso, (well known throughout the South Pacific and famous for his wartime exploits in the Solo mons) survived another dangerous situation in February when his cutter, of approximately 1 h tons, struck a coral head on the port bow

as she was clearing the northerly passage out of the lagoon at Dravuni, near Solo Light, during a voyage from Kadavu to Suva. The launch was abandoned about two miles from shore. Major Kennedy now has a plantation on a small island in Fiji.

nvprhnnrH S cutter s crew dived

5 feet of* wjSpJ. SSt?/ about

° f ’ tr^ and Wlth0 l ut sue- PTPnnprtv vess , el * Mr J fhp A m ’ snd5 nd A h <; aved J? th i e reef v. Aite L a at sal Y age » the cu tter slipped off the coral and sank.

Mr. Kennedy and his crew of two Ellice Islanders, and an 11-yearsold Ellice girl, Erne, then decided millTto the sou?™ KUI& ’ ab ° Ut 2

container'^coco t '“*-<?*? Water

container, coconuts, first-aid equiprnent, a tin of benzine, and matches “u W . at f r "P roof wrapping, were lashed to loose planks. Erne was ntted with the only available Mae west and an inflated inner tube.

After s ft hours in strong currents and choppy waves they reached the tip of Vanua Kula at dawn. Mr, Kennedy said they were lucky; for every stroke the swimmers made, fche y advanced less than a foot. The distance swum was about 5 miles, “I shall always retain admiration tor the behaviour of Erne, who kicked out like a Briton all through the night,” he said. - Fir f were kept burnln S days, before being rescued by Mr.

George Houng Lee’s auxiliary cutter Tui Navitilevu, the crew of which had spotted the distress signals when entering the lagoon on a voy

age from Suva.

-Jack Thornton.

Major Kennedy and the Ellice Islands child, photographed in Suva soon after they were rescued.