Coogee Media

There had been a number of sightings of sharks at Coogee earlier in 1912. Then on Monday 19th February 1912, Frederick William Wort followed a regular routine of some two months of travelling from his work for an afternoon swim at Coogee Beach. He then entered the water via the Lloyd's "mens' baths" (what is now Giles Baths on the northern side of the Bay), surmounted the stone wall separating the baths from the ocean and began to swim across the Bay with the intention of then making a return swim. Some accounts say that he was with two others, but Wort insisted that he was on his own.

Contemporary newspaper image of Frederick Wort

Lurking in the Seaweed
About 200 metres out, he came across a large patch of floating seaweed. To his alarm he noticed movement within the seaweed bank and seeing something "sharp and straight", realised it was the fin of a large shark. He felt something grab his leg. Using his experience in managing horses in his native London, he struck out at the flank of the beast with his arms and elbow. The shark released its grip momentarily, and Wort swam as fast as he could to the shoreline. While swimming ashore, he said that he felt some "smarts" on his leg, but luckily could feel no pain.

The Australian shark attack incident database says that it was a "White Shark" (Carcharodon carcharias)

Accounts then differ about what happened. Some claim that Wort had shouted out "Shark! Shark" and that he then, once ashore, collapsed on the sand and fainted. Wort, however, seems to have wanted to sound like he had "toughed it out" and that he made his way to the shore without panic, and then calmly sought assistance and bore any pain due to the first aid without complaint.

J. McCauley, the proprietor of the "men's baths", telephoned for the Randwick St. Johns Ambulance Brigade, who came and rendered first aid. Wort was taken to St Vincent's Hospital in Darlinghurst and treated by Doctor Reginald Bowman who said that despite lacerations to his right heel and serious lascerations to his right leg, requiring 18 stitches, he was allowed to go home after treatment. He had serious injuries, but "The boy will be alright. His muscles won't be permanently injured" , the Doctor said. A lucky escape!

Interviewed Next Day
The next day, the bandaged Wort was able to talk with reporters from the Sydney Sun newspaper in his Newtown home. From this interview we are to learn a little more about Wort. He had come to Australia about two years before as a 16 year old with a younger brother Bill from London where he had been born. Perhaps this meant that he had immigrated with his family. He worked for the Australian Gaslight Company (AGL) and his brother sold newspapers. He lived in a double-storied terrace at 62 Phillip Street, Newtown. His London work with horses gave him the experience offrightening away a large beast with a hefty shove of elbows.

Sands Sydney Directory lists a William H. Wort as the occupant of 62 Phillip Street from 1911 to 1916; this was presuamably Frederick's father. And that is where Frederick Wort, and his family for that matter, disappears from the public record. Wort seems to have settled down for a quiet life without further publicity. Despite his age, there is no record at the Australian War Memorial of him volunteering for military service during World War One or later for that matter, (perhaps his injuries from the shark attack precluded him).

First Recorded Attack - Lucky Escape
This was, as far as can be ascertained, the earliest recorded shark attack on a human at Coogee Beach, although there had been many earlier sightings of sharks around Coogee over the previous decades. Some of the press reporting seemed to want to blame Wort, the victim, for the attack. He had been warned, some said. Sharks were well known to frequent the north end. It was the type of swimming stroke he employed that attracted the sharks, and so on. A decade later the reporting would by then be emphasising the treacherous nature of these wild beasts.

It would not be until 1922 when other recorded shark attacks happend at Coogee; this time seeing the fatalities of two young men at the southern end of Coogee early in that year, and then in 1925 in another attack, a young man lost his leg. It was certainly a lucky escape for Frederick Wort.

Read More about the 1922 and 1925 shark attacks at Coogee.

References