Speakers: Glenn Rosser, Scott Schubert, Malcolm Rumbelow, Peter Rumbelow
From the earliest days of the Rumbelow family being in South Australia an affiliation with the sea developed. The family became more and more involved with the sea as each of the generations worked and made fishing a career and way of life, not just a job. It is not surprising to realise that there were going to be tragedies, just as there were celebrations of success.
There have been six Rumbelows who have lost their lives at sea, seven if you include Malen 3rd who died of a heart attack while fishing at the outer ground. Six drownings seems a high number, maybe not if you consider the number of hours the family would have collectively spent on the water.
1877 - Cain Jelliff, though strictly not a Rumbelow, was the first of the family to be lost at sea. He was returning to Goolwa from the Murray Mouth with 2 others in a storm when he slipped and fell overboard. He had been steering the boat with a makeshift rudder as the tiller had already been lost. Cain could not swim and it was 2 days before his body was recovered.
1905 - Malen 3rd died while fishing at the outer ground pulling in a snapper just 10 days after Ween was born. It is said his father Malen 2nd who had been suffering from failing health for some time, didn't recover from the shock of losing his son and also passed away just 3 months later. Five of the sons of Malen 3rd went on to become fishermen.
1920 - Samuel Rumbelow drowned while trying to save a young girl who had been washed from the rocks at Port Elliot. Samuel had tried to warn her of the danger in being too close to the sea, but his warnings were not heeded. He had no hesitation in jumping in and going to her rescue. Samuel managed to bring her back to the rocks where she was hauled out by onlookers. Samuel was washed out and taken under by the surge and undertow. The large number of people who attended his funeral was indeed a testament to the popularity of the man.
1932 - At about midnight on 23rd December the double drowning of Walter and David took place. Walter, David and Lionel had been fishing in Backstairs Passage when the Ferret foundered in heavy seas off Waitpinga Beach on the return home. Walter had seen Lionel in Victor shopping and asked if he would accompany him on a trip to Kangaroo Island Lionel agreed and went home to get ready, he asked brother David who lived next door, to look after his nets for a couple of days. David later thought he would also like to go So got daughter Florence or Fon as she is known to take him to the Bluff to enable him to wave the others in as they passed. That was the last Fon saw of her father.
When the Ferret went down Lionel and David were able to cling to the dinghy they had been towing and were washed toward Waitpinga Beach. Walter was never sighted and it is believed he was trapped in the cabin. The brothers were washed in and out many times before a huge breaker picked up the dinghy and flung it in the air. Lionel was pushed onto the beach and he believed the dinghy must have struck David on the head, knocking him unconscious. Lionel searched for his brother before struggling up the beach and hills to the Honeyman home to raise the alarm. David's body was recovered the day after Christmas though Walter was never found. David's wife Mabel gave birth to a son, David 3 months later.
1975 - On May 16 Geoff Rumbelow was drowned trying to retrieve his boat The Alice R that had broken its mooring in heavy seas. On the day Geoff drowned there was a very high tide and the large swells were coming right up over the footpath. Along with Chris Tapscott and Keith Procter, Graham tried to bring Geoff to shore but were unable to get him into the dinghy dad was rowing. Chris managed to give mouth to mouth whilst in the water but it was too late.
1981 - The most recent drowning was that of Kevin Rumbelow, or Jackson or Jack as we called him. On November 22nd Kevin was returning from Kangaroo Island in bad weather when his boat the Galini went down. Kevin had not had the Galini long and had bought her to be able to day fish from Victor so he could spend more time at home with his family. It was on his first extended trip to the Island that his tragic death occurred. A large air end sea search was organised when Jack became overdue and it was 6 days before his body was recovered on the beach in Shannon's Gully to the west of Parsons Beach. History repeated itself when Kevin's wife Maxine found she was pregnant and eventually young Kevin was born. Unfortunately Kevin was never aware he was to be a father again.
Though there have been tragedies, the Rumbelow family have always been ready to help those in peril, many receiving awards for the heroics from the Royal Humanity Society Bronze Medallions.
1921 - Horace Reid (Mary George's grandfather) received a Bronze medal for his efforts in Victoria when he saved children in a carriage.
1925 - Lionel Rumbelow received one for saving the life of Abraham Solomon in Shark Alley between the Bluff and Wrights Island.
1934 - Cyril Rumbelow or Mick as he was known saved the life of a farmer at Port Elliot when he was being gored by a bull. Mick, armed only with a tomahawk and being 19 at the time, managed to chase off the bull and save Mr II. Dent from a terrible fate.
1975 - Graham Rumbelow when he was involved in the attempted rescue of Geoff Rumbelow.