A lesson learnt

Long before television, iPods and Play Stations, when kids were still reading Biggles, Tom Sawyer, Superman and the Secret Seven, there were three young Woy Woy lads all aged around 12 years.

Let us call them Charlie, Bruce and Colin which, coincidentally, happened to be their real names.

After playing a few games and generally mucking about, they felt the need for an adventure, a challenge, something that would test their mettle, as well as their swimming ability.

So the boys unanimously agreed to swim across Woy Woy channel to Pelican Island.

Off they went, mixing freestyle, backstroke and dog paddling some of the way.

With the tide running strongly, they eventually reached the other side, quite exhausted but feeling rather pleased with themselves.

After a brief exploration of the island, one of the boys mentioned the possibility of man-eating sharks in the channel.

It was getting dark and the water by then had turned a nasty grey-green colour and looked really threatening.

You could almost hear that ominous soundtrack from the movie Jaws (if it had been released 30 years earlier).

All of a sudden the boys lost their appetite and enthusiasm for the return trip.

They were stuck on the island and soon it would be night.

Worse still, the thought they could be sent off to bed without dinner was too awful to contemplate.

After much yelling and waving, they finally managed to catch the attention of a couple walking along Brickwharf Rd, and they immediately alerted Woy Woy Police.

Well, who should turn up to rescue the boys but the much respected and formidable Sergeant Benson who happened to be the father of one of the boys.

Needless to say, he was not happy.

He commandeered one of the rowboats from Taylor's Boatshed and dutifully brought the boys back - by then rather subdued and contrite.

The Sergeant marched them across to the police station, which at that time was located in Brickwharf Rd just up from the Woy Woy Hotel.

He then gave them a stern lecture about being responsible and not wasting his valuable time while he could be chasing crooks, and if they ever pulled a stunt like that again, he would lock them up for good.

Lesson learnt.

Letter, 2 Mar 2010 Fred Landman, Daley's Point