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Brave friends to the rescue Plucking stricken kayaker from the harbour earns Leonard Aleck and Dale Wells a provincial salute for lifesaving
John McKinley THE CHRONICLE
Dale Wells and Leonard Aleck don’t consider themselves to be heroes. In their minds, they are just a couple of guys who were fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time to help a fellow human being in need. Morley Hornung may disagree. Hornung was the Vancouver kayaker who flipped his boat off of Shell Beach in November, got his foot tangled in some rigging, and may have drowned if not for the quick, decisive action of the local pair. Wells and Aleck were among 26 people from across the province honoured for bravery by the Lifesaving Society of B.C. late last month in the 103rd-annual Honour and Rescue Awards. While downplaying his actions as something anybody would have done, Wells does acknowledge the timing could not have been more fortunate for Hornung. “I don’t think he would have survived,” he said. “He was really blue in the face and hands. We still don’t know how long he was out there for.” The day was cold, but clear and sunny, and the neighbourhood was quiet and otherwise empty of people when Wells and Aleck decided to go for a walk. Friends, neighbours and residents of the Silverstrand Road area, they were on the beach when saw something odd offshore. Then they heard a
Shell Beach residents Leonard Aleck (right) and Dale Wells were honoured by the Lifesaving Society of B.C. March 28 for leaping to save the life of a capsized kayaker in Ladysmith Harbour in November. JOHN MCKINLEY faint call for help. Wells tried to pull the man aboard, but even They wrapped him up and kept him warm as Wells told his wife, Renee, to call 911 as they after freeing his foot, was unsuccessful. the ambulance came over the hill. heaved Aleck’s nearby boat into the water “He as an older gentleman, not big, but he According to Dale Miller of the Lifesaving and sped out toward the neighbouring Dun- had all the water weight on him,” Wells said. Society, Hornung was a very experienced smuir Islands. Instead, he wrapped his arm around Hor- kayaker, but this particular day was not using What initially had appeared to be a seal or nung’s chest as Aleck steered the boat to his own kayak and did not have his regular log bobbing partway between the little island the nearby island. Together they got him out safety gear. and landmark big red buoy in the harbour of the water and into the boat, then headed “He was coping well until hypothermia gradwas actually a man in a wetsuit clinging to back to the main beach for help. ually began to have its effect,” Miller said. an overturned kayak. He was unresponsive They could hear the sirens approaching “(Then) he was in trouble and something and his foot was caught in some equipment from Ladysmith as they ferried Hornung’s needed to happen fast or the day was not gounderneath.. cold, semi-conscious body to shore. Another ing to end well.” Aleck manoeuvred the boat into range and friend, Lyle Jack, greeted them with a blanket. see Pair honoured, page 4
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