Harold Holt drove his maroon Pontiac to Cheviot Beach, just outside Melbourne, on 17 December 1967. It was a Sunday morning and Australia’s 17th prime minister was unwinding after wrapping up his first full year in office.
After watching British round-the-world sailor Alec Rose arriving at Port Phillip Bay, with a group of friends, Mr Holt suggested they head for a swim before lunch.
The 59-year-old Liberal leader had a holiday home in Portsea. He loved spearfishing and was a keen swimmer and diver. He said he knew Cheviot Beach – one of his favourite spots – like the “back of his hand”. But the conditions that day were especially rough.
Those he was with described the tide as “very high” and the surf as “very turbulent”. One acquaintance, Martin Simpson, said the strong undercurrent was enough to stop him going in past his knees. Regardless, the prime minister changed into his swimmers and waded into the water. He was seen swimming out to sea before suddenly disappearing.
Marjorie Gillespie, Mr Holt’s neighbour and girlfriend of Mr Simpson, witnessed what happened. She described it as “like a leaf being taken out”. “It was so quick and so final,” she said.
A massive rescue operation began, with dive teams sent out and spotters with binoculars scanning the water from the shore. By evening, nearly 200 people were searching for the prime minister.
Five days later, the search was scaled down. His body was never found.
"He's remembered as the bloke who drowned," Australian National University political historian Professor Nicholas Brown said earlier this month.
حمّل تطبيق أس بي أس الجديد للإستماع لبرامجكم المفضلة باللغة العربية.
