Crocodiles Take Fishing Grandad

[mrmoshe]

Crocodiles take fishing grandad

A MELBOURNE grandfather believed snatched by crocodiles had videotaped his killers in the river where they took him.

Retired truckie Bill Egan, 71, vanished after he fell from his boat while fishing with wife Benita on the remote Carrington River in the Northern Territory.

The Braybrook father of three and his wife were on their annual fishing trip to the area when tragedy struck on Thursday morning.

The river is home to big saltwater crocodiles, so dangerous that police used nets to cordon off sections to enable divers to search for Mr Egan's remains.

A Melbourne neighbour of the Egans, Ken Simmons, revealed yesterday that Mr Egan had videotaped crocodiles at the same river last year.

The keen angler had pointed out how close to his boat the crocs lurked.

"Last time he came back, he showed me," Mr Simmons said.

"He said, 'Look at the crocodiles', because they were where he was fishing."

Mr Egan was trying to free tangled lines at his boat's propeller when he fell in the river, near Borroloola, 750km southeast of Darwin.

A police spokesman said: "He's gone in the water and she's (his wife) reached in to grab him, but knocked the arm of the motor and caused the boat to career off to the bank.

"She's looked back and he's gone."

Mr Egan's wife threw him a rope, but he had disappeared.

Mr Egan's sons, David and Dallas, and brother Graham, rushed to the NT to comfort his grieving wife.

Mr Egan's sister-in-law, Gail, said the family believed he had died, but were clinging to hope that his body would be found.

"We believe he is gone," Gail Egan said.

"(His sons) are hoping to find their father's body.

"We are just hoping they find him whole ... because it is crocodile infested."

Mr Egan's wife was devastated, her sister-in-law said.

"She's not coping very well," she said.

Gail Egan described the fisherman as a "happy-go-lucky guy" who loved the outdoors and enjoyed an annual fishing trip in the NT.

"He loved fishing and camping - he loved life," she said.

"He used to go up there every year. It's the last thing we expected."

Locals said several huge saltwater crocodiles lurked at the section of river where Mr Egan disappeared.

Wendy, the operator of the nearby King Ash Bay caravan park where the couple were staying, said: "(The Egans) were in the spot where four really big ones live."

A police search yesterday failed to find any trace of Mr Egan.

A helicopter was also used to see if Mr Egan's remains had washed out to sea.

The Egans left Melbourne for the NT about six weeks ago.

[bobfish]

Geeeeeeeze, what a way to go.....

[Penguin]

That sux

[Guest MRS WATTO]

Very sad