Lismore surfer takes board to head and dies

Wednesday was Ken McLean’s 54th birthday, he and his family took a week-long holiday in Yamba to celebrate. He went out for a surf at Turner’s beach, scrapped into a wave, fell and his board hit him in the bridge of this nose. Ken went unconscious and was found floating in the water by nearby bodyboarders.

“He was surfing alone 20 meters from three other surfers when he fell off,” Greg Wyllie, Clarence Valley lifeguard supervisor told the Daily Examiner. “The three surfers and a lifeguard all responded to Ken who was face downing the water. Within two minutes they brought his unconscious body to shore.”

The lifeguard and two off-duty paramedics initiated CPR and hooked up the defibrillator, the efforts proved futile. Ken was pronounced dead in the ambulance 40 minutes after he was found floating unconscious.

His sister Rhonda Shone was on the beach at the time, she stated Ken was an experienced surfer and fisherman. “The worst part is,” said Mr Shone. “Ken’s partner’s first husband also drowned.”

Ken’s death is the first confirmed drowning on a patrolled Clarence Valley beach in more than 18 years.