L E O B L O C K L E Y M E M O R I A L C A M P A I G N

The Blockley Files

Setting the record straight

You may have seen the article in the Regatta magazine of June 2002 (reproduced here) in which Mr Thomson (the ARA Honorary Water Safety Adviser) gives his version of events following Leo's death and our approach to the ARA.

We are worried about the lack of accurate information, disinformation, and lies filtering through to ARA Council members before the important meeting on June 18th 2002. This is when the Council will decide on the new buoyancy agreement, and the new Water Safety Code.

We have therefore put together an information pack and sent a copy to each of the 25 ARA Divisional Reps. Since Tommy Thomson has seen fit to publish his article we feel it is only fair that we make public what actually happened. We have been keeping a journal since Leo's death.

Here follows our covering letter to the Div Reps, which details the accident, and a Chronology of relevant events to the present day. There are links to copies of letters and other documents.

We hope that no-one will ever have to face this situation again, but we feel things need to be said about how the ARA have handled the rowing related death of one of their members.

1) The ARA never approached us, they have only (eventually) responded to our approach to them. They did cancel Leo's Regatta magazine straight away after the accident, but never asked us about it, and neither did they inform us.

2) The only contact we received from them in 14 months after Leo's death was a covering note accompanying the insurance cheque (Ł5,000 ARA death benefit). They didn't tell us about the existence of the insurance. Someone from the University kindly dealt with it for us, and told us about it when it was all sorted. Had that not been the case the money would have been unclaimed and other young rowers would not have benefited from it. (We passed it on to DCBC and OULRC). Oh, and there was a compliments slip with the copies of Regatta we requested, which contained articles about Leo.

3) The ARA did not communicate to us any interest in the accident, it's cause and lessons to be learned. They had an accident report from OULRC, but they never contacted us about it, or offered any discussion on the issues raised. We would have found that helpful and comforting for those whose job it is to advise on safety, to have shown us that there was a desire to ensure that this would never happen again.

4) No-one from the ARA attended the Inquest. All they had to do was ask.

In short, the buoyancy issue would never have been addressed if it was not for other members of the rowing community raising the issue and supporting us through the campaign. We happen to be articulate, strong and resourceful people, with access to the necessary technology. We are used to dealing with authority. Had this not been the case, then maybe nothing would have changed...... until the next time.

Click on a document to view it.