I was swept DOWN A DRAIN

Ian Marsh, 69, Goulburn, NSW

Splashing around the local pool in Mudgee, NSW, the cool water was refreshing on my skin.

It was a scorcher on New Year’s Day, 1959, and, aged seven, I’d tagged along with my sister Ruth, then 10, and her friend for a day at the public swimming baths.

At around 4pm, we’d started to make our way home, but as a huge storm cloud threatened from above, the girls decided to seek cover near the Catholic church.

Suddenly, everything went dark