Let our memorial be
Shark attack survivor’s plea
THE sole survivor of a shark attack off the Townsville coast almost 30 years ago says he is worried Townsville City Council will alter a memorial built in honour of his crewmates.
Former trawler captain Ray Boundy was the only one of his crew to survive being stalked by a tiger shark off Lodestone Reef, about 90km off the coast of T o w n s v i l l e , w h e n h i s vessel, the New Venture, capsized and sank in rough s eas i n 1 9 8 3 . Deckhand Denis ‘‘ Smurf’’ Murphy, 24, and Linda Horton, 21, were both mauled to death by the shark over 36 hours.
Mr Murphy was posthumously awarded the Star of Courage for his actions in trying to lure the shark away from his crewmates.
After having one of his legs already ripped off by t he s hark, Mr Murphy s w a m a w a y f r o m M r Boundy and Ms Horton in a bid to entice the shark to attack only him, instead of his two crewmates.
But two hours later the shark came back and att a c k e d Ms Hor t o n a n d dragged her by the arm under the water.
The Smurf and Lindy memorial park was built in memory of Mr Murphy and Ms Horton, by grieving friends and relatives, including Mr Boundy, who wants it to stay exactly as it has for decades.
Mr Boundy said he was worried the council had plans to change the swings and barbecues in the park, as part of the recreational boat park the site.
‘‘ They just don’t get the fact that this park was built by friends and relatives of Dennis and Lindy,’’ he said.
‘‘ It’s not something they have the right to come in and change because they t h i n k i t w i l l i m p r o v e the area.
‘‘ This park is an important t r i b u t e t o T o wns v i l l e ’ s maritime history and it should stay exactly how it is.
‘ ‘ These council blokes, you just can’t trust them.’’
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D e p u t y M a y o r V e r n Veitch said t he council would treat the memorial with the utmost respect even if it had to upgrade playground equipment.
‘‘ We will treat the memorial with the same deference that we would any other in Townsville, like in ANZAC Park,’’ he said.
Mr Boundy doesn’t like speaking about what happened on Lodestone Reef that day but he wants to ensure the memorial stays untouched.
‘‘ Because of Denis, I have had another 30 years to spend with my kids and that’s something you never forget,’’ he said.