Drowned boy's dad calls for pool CCTV

THE father of a boy who drowned at a North Rockhampton water park yesterday told a coroner about his fight to have video surveillance installed at all Australian public pools.

The man submitted a number of documents to Coroner Annette Hennessy, when he took the stand on the final day of an inquest into his nine-year-old son's death.

“It takes a tragedy for something good to come out,” the man said.

“I want (my son) to be looking down from heaven and saying 'Thanks Dad'.”

The boy drowned on January 4, 2007 at the Rock Pool Water Park on Berserker Street, after his aunt who took him there lost sight of him for about 30 minutes.

He was found dead at the deep end of the pool by two other boys.

The boy and his family can not be named because some siblings are in the care of the Department of Child Safety.

The father yesterday told the court he walked 886km to Brisbane last year in aid of his son.

Along the way he obtained 3500 petition signatures from residents who also agreed video surveillance should be installed at all Australian public pools.

He said all who signed said they would even pay a 50-cent levy to visit pools, which would eventually cover costs of the equipment for owners.

“I've done this all on my own back. I nearly lost my house during the walk because I couldn't pay the house repayments,” he said.

“I want to do another walk next year.

“No one knows about these devices and if the public is willing to pay ... I just don't want to see another family go through what we went through.”

The father said his research showed public pools in the UK and America had already adopted the surveillance system which monitors the outside and inside of the pool with invisible lasers.

Coroner Hennessy yesterday reserved her decision to a date to be set.