Fatal swim moment
Friend tells how swim hole tragedy unfolded
THE best mate of the man drowned at Millstream Creek at the weekend has told of the harrowing moment he lost grip of him at the popular Tablelands swimming hole.
Millstream resident Adrian Hicks (left) has been identified as the man pulled from the waters of Millstream Creek on Sunday after a two-day search.
Friend Will Walker said he was enjoying the popular Army Pools swimming hole with his family and Mr Hicks on Saturday when tragedy struck.
Mr Walker said his friend will be remembered as a gentle, considerate and cautious man.
THE best mate of the man drowned at Millstream Creek on Saturday has paid tribute to a careful and compassionate friend and told of the events that led to the 61-year-old’s death.
The man pulled from the waters of Millstream Creek on Sunday after a two-day search has been identified as Millstream resident Adrian Hicks.
Friend Will Walker said he was enjoying the popular Army Pools swimming hole with his family and Mr Hicks on Saturday when tragedy struck.
“We jumped off a waterhole cliff, like you do, and he was at the steps where you get out wiping the water off his face and he was just taking way too long to get out,” he said.
“I was starting to get worried so jumped in after him. I got to him and put my arm around him but I couldn’t hold him.
“Just as I was able to (get) a hold on the rocks and reach out and grab him, he just sank away.
“I think he had some sort of medical episode or maybe he swallowed some water and choked.”
Mr Walker admitted the water levels at Millstream Creek were up but he didn’t feel swimming in the creek was foolhardy.
“Sure there was a risk, but it was a calculated one. There was something else going on that day,” he said.
“I don’t know what happened to Adrian but it was not a wild rapid that took him away.”
A heartbreaking drive back into Ravenshoe to raise the alarm was something Mr Walker will never forget.
“It was hard, a really hard thing to do,” he said.
“I didn’t have my phone on me. I didn’t want to leave the scene but had to.”
Mr Hicks grew up on South Australia’s Yorke Peninsula and made the move north to the Atherton Tablelands five years ago.
Mr Walker remembered his mate as a gentle, considerate and cautious man.
“He was always willing to lend a hand, he was just a magnificent man,” he said.
Mr Hicks’ niece Naomi Hicks said traditional owners of the Ravenshoe area would be consulted in regard to funeral services.
JUST AS I WAS ABLE TO (GET) A HOLD ON THE ROCKS AND … GRAB HIM, HE JUST SANK AWAY
WILL WALKER