Almost two years on Marty Corboy still remembers the sight of his two-year-old son lying limp as paramedics and pool staff worked to restart his breathing.
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During a birthday party Nicholas had fallen into a toddler pool, unseen, while his mother Annelisa changed his sibling's nappy. She dragged him from the water unconscious and not breathing.
“There were lots of mums and dads around,” Mr Corboy said.
“No one heard a splash.
“It just goes to show how fast it can happen and thankfully the [pool] owner knew what to do in that circumstance and Nicholas is still here today.”
New statistics from the Royal Life Saving Society of Australia revealed 965 children under the age of five died by drowning in the past 25 years. While 7,361 children were hospitalised after near-drownings, many experiencing life-long disabilities.
Nicholas, now 4, regained consciousness and was unharmed.
“We were one of the lucky ones, I know there were quite a few tragedies that week so it really did bring it home,” he said. “You have that thought ‘is there going to be long lasting effects from this’ but he fell asleep and an hour later he woke up like nothing happened.
“I recall having to put him into his room for quiet time the next day, typically, he was back to his old self.”
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Mr Corboy called on all guardians to become CPR trained, saying the early actions of his wife Annelisa, Moore Than Swimming owner Lionel Moore and emergency services saved Nicholas.
“He wouldn’t be here without [CPR],” he said.
“Accidents happen and they can happen to you. If they do, make sure you’ve got the right tools to address the situation.”
Mr Corboy said the incident re-enforced the importance of teaching children water safety from a young age and getting them comfortable in water.
“We made a very big point about going to the pool again,” he said.
“It did affect some of our other children who got a bit of a fright, but that’s natural and they’ve worked their way through that.”
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Digital journalists with The Border Mail.
Digital journalists with The Border Mail.
