Two boys were swept nearly a mile along an open storm drain before being rescued by a policeman and ambulance officer, reported The Canberra Times, on this day 50 years ago.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The incident happened during the heavy storm which hit Canberra and deposited more than an inch of rain in two hours.
John Peteczyc, 12, of Braddon, and Dennis Wallace, 15, of Campbell, took shelter under a storm drain near the Dickson swimming pool.
Police said the trickle of water in the drain had developed into a rush within minutes. Wallace, seeing Peteczyc being swept away, had tried to pull him out but had lost his balance.
About 20 policemen in several cars had searched the area before the boys had been seen in the drain near Wattle Street, O'Connor.
Both boys were hauled out and taken to Canberra Hospital.
Canberra's city area was pelted by hail for about 20 minutes during the storm.
A spokesperson for the ACT Bureau of Meteorology said that the storm had moved over the city in a north-easterly direction, becoming weaker as it went.
