Riled up by her tragic demise, locals returned to the bay in a bid to snare the bull shark. With her porcelain skin, nobody believed Marcia had ever seen the sun and they dared her to prove she could swim, Richard Wood wrote in this 2015 blog post, so she slipped over the side of the boat into Sugarloaf Bay and the jaws of a bull shark., At 12:30 pm, four of the group went ashore, while the other three remained on Valeeta. }); }) Tragically, by the time another ambulance had arrived an hour later, Marcia had stopped breathing. Ms Hathaway, 32, was on board a boat with friends in Sydney Harbour on a clear 30C day on January 28, 1963, when they dared her to prove she could swim. [3] She died after being attacked by a Bull shark in shallow water at Sugarloaf Bay, Middle Harbour, Sydney, on January 28, 1963. A stretch of beaches have now been shut to the public as the first fatal shark attack in the Sydney area since 1963 sparked panic among locals. To improve your experience. An ambulance met the victim at Mowbray Point, but the dying woman's fate was sealed when the ambulance broke down. In 2020, Florida represented 48 per cent of all US shark attacks. She was dragged from the water at Sugarloaf Bay in Middle Harbour by her fiance but did not survive the wait for an ambulance which broke down on the way to the scene. },false) The US made up most of the attacks, reporting 47, one of which provedfatal when a surfer was killed - possibly by a great white - on Christmas Eve off the central coast of California, authorities said. The state of Florida reported more than half of all attacks in the US in 2021 - with a total of 28. Rishi Sunak warns MPs they can't trust 'Mr 2nd Referendum' Keir Starmer on Brexit in meeting with backbench DAILY MAIL COMMENT: Rishi Sunak's vaunted Brexit deal could be a landmark achievement, Rishi's deal gives Brexit a second chance. "I tried to reassure Marcia and told her that the shark had just brushed past her. A local woman who regularly goes swimming around the area said the attack 'made her think twice'. The man told ABC: "He was yelling at first,and then when he went down there were so many splashes. View our online Press Pack. 52 0 obj <>stream Don't worry about me, dear. Sandra Hayden and James Delmege began looking for oysters on the rocks, while Marcia and Frederick went digging in the shallows. They reportedly caught the beast they believed killed the actress and put it on display for the public. "It came back and swallowed parts of his body and that was it.". ", Jetstar cancels Perth flights over border uncertainty. The fatal attack followed warnings that shark attacks are increasing. "Then I heard her scream. A large group of men attempt to push the broken down ambulance from Mowbray Point. Oh man! A SharkSmart app provided by the New South Wales government alerts swimmers and surfers in real time when a shark is detected nearby. When Australian surfer Mick Fanning hit the news after surviving an attack by a Great White Shark during a surfing competition in South Africa, the incident reminded the Museum's USA Programs Manager Richard Wood of a family tragedy involving a shark attack in Sydney Harbour.. Marcia's been taken by a shark. ''I am not in pain,'' she told her fiance. When I asked her if it hurt, she told me, 'No I am not in pain', he recalled. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), Before she lost consciousness for the last time, Mr Knight asked her if she was in pain. Shark attack Sydney Harbour 1963 hitType: 'event', The organisation advises people to swim only in patrolled areas on the beach, avoid swimming at dawn, dusk and night, steer clear of schools of baitfish and keep away from river mouths or murky water. But to add to their unbelievable bad luck, the ambulance broke down - forcing more than a dozen men to attempt to push the vehicle up a steep hill before conceding they would have to wait for a second ambulance. 'We heard a yell, it looked like a car had landed in the water'. The comments below have been moderated in advance. if(document.querySelector("#google_image_div")){ I have seen men die, but I have never seen anyone as brave as Marcia, I think the last words she said to me were, Dont worry about me dear, God will look after me.. As panic-stricken swimmers raced from the water to find help, James Delmege sprinted towards Frederick, now in a tug-of-war with the blood-thirsty predator. 'DPI extends sincere condolences to the family and friends and first responders at this tragic time, a spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia. "Surfers and harbour swimmers should take particular care for . eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), Surf Life Saving Duty Officers will be on the scene this morning with two Surf Life Saving Sydney jetskis on the water and two drones in the air to assist police. Panicked fishermen and beachgoers watched on in horror as a man was dragged underwater and mauled by a shark at Sydney's Little Bay Beach. The shark attacked her while she was standing in murky water only 30 inches deep and 20 feet from the shore in the northern arm of Sugarloaf Bay. Suggest . This week, Sydney reported its first fatal shark attack since Hathaway's death 59 years ago when Simon Nellist was mauled to death by a 4.5-meter shark. The first ambulance that arrived to take Ms Hathaway to hospital at Mowbray broke down and, dying, she had to wait for another. There were three fatal shark attacks across Australia last year, including two in New South Wales, according to a database compiled by the Taronga Conservation Society. At first Ms Hathaway, who was quietly paddling in thigh deep water, said she thought an octopus had gripped her right calf, according to the Mosman Collective. Miss Hathaway's fiance and two other friends were treated at the Mater Misericordia Hospital for shock. window.googletag.pubads().addEventListener('impressionViewable', function(event) { The shark almost tore off her right leg. Miss Hathaway, 32, of Greenaway Flats, Milson's Point, was on a picnic trip with six friends in a motor cruiser. It was soft and spongy.. Sugarloaf Bay: The scene of the fatal shark attack. 0 'I heard Marcia scream "Oh dear", and then she was dragged into deep water,' her fianc Frederick Knight later said. 'F*** man, I heard a scream and the shark was just chomping on his body and the body was in half just off the rocks here. You should be more scared of getting in your car.' We had been in the water for about five minutes and I was about 12 to 15 feet (3.6m to 4.m) away from Marcia with my back to her. EXCLUSIVE 'I hope he has a hard time in a men's prison': Estranged wife of trans double rapist Isla Bryson Ed Sheeran reveals wife Cherry was diagnosed with tumour while pregnant which couldn't be treated until Matt Hancock was warned it was 'inhumane' to impose restrictions on visiting care homes and elderly were at Jacob Rees-Mogg 'had a Covid test for one of his children couriered to his home amid a shortage', according Time to veto keto? January 28, 1963. In 2021, the Florida Museum of Natural Historys investigated 137 alleged shark attacks worldwide. Luxury sub-penthouse with sweeping Sydney Harbour views is one of Australias best prestige homes. "There were still people in the water. Despite her local success, the tragic star was - up until now - best known as the last person to be killed by a shark in the Oz city some 59 years ago. I keep vomiting. Sugarloaf Bay, scene of the attack on January 28, 1963.Credit:Staff photographer. ", A NSW Ambulance spokeswoman: "Unfortunately this patient had suffered catastrophic injuries and there was nothing paramedics could do.". I think at one stage I had my foot in its mouth. "We had been swimming about in shallow water and I remember telling Marcia not to go out too far," he told the. It was soft and spongy.. January 28, 1963. James Delmege and Frederick Knight pulled Marcia onto the sand, as boat owners David Mason and Peter Cowden tore sheets from bunk beds to use as torniquets for their terrified, still conscious friend. ga('ads.send', { "They put her in an ambulance, but because of the steep grade leading up from the water's edge and the slippery surface the ambulance clutch burnt out. He ran through the water after her and remarkably at one point straddled the back of the shark as he fought to pull Ms Hathaway free. On average, 77 shark attacks occur worldwide each year, with the US usually reporting the highest number. A reporter radioed his office and a second ambulance was sent. Miss Marcia Hathaway, a well-known Sydney actress, was fatally mauled by a shark in Middle Harbour, yesterday afternoon. You should be more scared of getting in your car.' She stayed calm even as her blood spilled into the shallows off Sugarloaf Bay. eventAction: 'render' (Facebook: Simon Nellist) By the time it arrived an hour later she had stopped breathing. Knight remembered being stunned at how Hathaway remained calm as she lost consciousness. eventAction: 'click_adunit' Police and ambulance services said the shark caused "catastrophic injuries". We took Marcia to a boat shed at the foot of Edinburgh Rd in Castlecrag and I swam ashore to find a phone.. God will look after me.. There were 12 shark attacks recorded in Australia in 2021, three of those being fatal. Shocked witnesses claimed the swimmer was attacked by a 15ft great white. Shocked witnesses claimed the swimmer was attacked by a 15ft great white. The actress was hauled aboard another boat as she bled out, before being transferred to an ambulance that met her and Knight at Mowbray Point. 'Our fear is really, it's driven by guts. Other frantic onlookers on the rocks can be heard swearing and screaming in horror. Many Sydneysiders had hoped to spend a day in the ocean with temperatures to reach a balmy 87.8F (31C). 'It was terrible. She'd stopped breathing by the time it arrived (pictured, the first ambulance, with locals trying to push it up a steep hill), Middle Harbour is a regular passageway for many bull sharks but is also considered a safe swimming spot. Emergency services were called to Buchan Point in Sydneys east at around 4.30pm on Wednesday following reports a shark had attacked a swimmer in the water. 'I heard Marcia scream "Oh dear", and then she was dragged into deep water,' her fianc Frederick Knight later said. Her last words were published in the news the next day. Actress Marcia Hathaway is stretchered into a waiting ambulance after a fatal shark attack in 1963. It happened so fast and I could not see much in the water. Oh man! As Marcia lost consciousness, Frederick was stunned at how calm she remained. By now the shark had lunged again to sink its teeth into her thigh. We had been in the water for about five minutes and I was about 12 to 15 feet away from Marcia with my back to her. It seemed to have grabbed her on the calf of her right leg. 'I keep vomiting. However, the shark had sunk its jagged teeth deep into her thigh. }); Australian actress Marcia Hathaway did not know the horror that awaited as she toasted her engagement with her fiance on the shoreline of a Sydney bay. An actress dragged into the water by a shark in 1963 sparked mass hysteria in Sydney. 36 0 obj <>/Filter/FlateDecode/ID[]/Index[16 37]/Info 15 0 R/Length 93/Prev 280747/Root 17 0 R/Size 53/Type/XRef/W[1 2 1]>>stream I heard Marcia scream Oh dear, and then she was dragged into deep water. Marcia Hathaway was a promising actress who worked extensively in theatre and on radio Credit: erbzine 5 In 1963 she tragically died after being attacked by a bull shark off the coast of. The critically injured actress was stretchered in an ambulance, which then broke down while navigating the steep track from the harbour. The tragedy unfolded at Buchan Point, a popular spot for rock fishing and spearfishing between Little Bay and Malabar beaches. pg.acq.push(function() { ga('ads.send', { Marcia wasnt very far from the beach and I had moved in to take off a pair of sandshoes I was wearing. That changed on Wednesday when a swimmer was fatally attacked off Little Bay not far from rock fisherman by what is believed to be a 4.5m great white shark. Miss Marcia Hathaway, a well-known Sydney actress, was fatally mauled by a shark in Middle Harbour, yesterday afternoon. She said she thought she had been attacked by an octopus. 'There is a long term trend of an increasing number of shark bites in Australia and overseas,' Dr McPhee told The Project. 'I wish it was me instead of my little boy. Shortly after, Knight and some other friends managed to pull Hathaway free as nearby boat owners tore sheets from their bunks to serve as tourniquets. ga('ads.send', { From the Archives, 1963: Shark kills Sydney actress, Shark-attack victim Marcia Hathaway is carried into a waiting ambulance on January 28, 1963, "They put her in an ambulance, but because of the steep grade leading up from the water's edge and the slippery surface the ambulance clutch burnt out. The shark pounced while she was standing in murky water only 20 feet from the shore in the northern arm of Sugarloaf Bay, Sydney Morning Herald reports. The woman, who lived in Greenaway Flats at Milson's Point, had been on a picnic and boating with six friends at the time. The 32-year-old told her fiance: "I am not in pain. I am shaking. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. "But she knew a short time after that she was dying.". That's a great white shark. New South Wales relies on a string of listening stations, drumlines, shark nets and shark-spotting drones to protect people in the water. Another shaken witness recalled how the swimmer was dragged under the water by the shark, with the attack lasting just several seconds. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. At the time, newspaper splashes breathlessly detailed . Shocking footage shows the predator thrashing around in the ocean and dragging its victim underwater as the sea turned red with blood, sparking panic on shore. The department has also advised a bull shark was detected 15km further north near Bondi an hour after the attack. I think at one stage I had my foot in its mouth. The swimmer's remains were found in the water a short time afterwards, New South Wales Police confirmed. The well-known Sydney actress was fatally mauled by a bull shark in Middle Harbour on January 28, 1963, after jumping off a boat on the clear 30C day, 59 years ago. 28 January 1963. Source: News Limited . From the Archives, 1963: Fatal shark attack in Sydney Harbour kills actress Marcia Hathaway. The shark attacked her while she was standing in murky water only 30 inches deep and 20 feet from the shore in the northern arm of Sugarloaf Bay. Photos of her body, which are too graphic to publish, showed her legs shredded as though crushed by industrial machinery in the attack. Marcia Hathaway was a promising actress who worked extensively in theatre and on radio Credit: . I am shaking. The US made up most of the attacks, reporting 47, one of which provedfatal when a surfer was killed - possibly by a great white - on Christmas Eve off the central coast of California, authorities said. God will look after me., Stream 25+ global & local news channels with Flash, a dedicated news streaming service. The state of Florida reported more than half of all attacks in the US in 2021 - with a total of 28. 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