Lifeguard in tears as she recalls drowning of nine-year-old boy

Court hears family did not know boy who drowned in Waikerie pool had re-entered the waterBy Jackson ByrneABC RiverlandTopic:CourtsPosted Tue 10 Nov 2026 at 6:05pmTue 10 Nov 2026 at 6:05pmThe Waikerie Swimming Pool was busy in late 2022 due to the River Murray flooding. (ABC Riverland: Eliza Berlage)In short:An inquest is underway into the death of a nine-year-old-boy who drowned at the Waikerie Swimming Pool in 2022.A 17-year-old lifeguard on duty at the time, who had only been working for two weeks, told the inquest she went into "shock" in the aftermath of the incident.What's next?The inquest will focus on the supervision and response of the lifeguards on duty.A lifeguard who had been on the job only for two weeks went into a "shock" after retrieving a nine-year-old boy who drowned at the Waikerie Swimming Pool.A coronial inquest into the 2022 death of Cyrus John Buck has begun at the Berri Magistrates Court in South Australia's Riverland.One of four lifeguards on duty at the time gave evidence today.The visibly emotional lifeguard, who was 17 at the time, told the inquest she was the first person to notice Cyrus "face down" underwater.She spoke of the impact the tragedy had on her and said she had not worked as lifeguard since Cyrus's death."I didn't know what to expect because I'd only worked at the pool for two weeks," she said."That's generally something someone would go through during a 30-year span of their career."The coronial inquest is being held in Berri, about 60 kilometres from Waikerie. (ABC Riverland: Amelia Walters)Unsure how Cyrus got in the poolCyrus had attended the pool with members of his family where he swam and went on a large inflatable obstacle course under supervision.However, later that afternoon Cyrus re-entered the pool without his family's knowledge.The inquest heard that the lifeguard had received training in October 2022.The 17-year-old girl who retrieved Cyrus said his death was the main reason she had stopped working as a lifeguard. (ABC Riverland: Eliza Berlage)The lifeguard said she had not noticed the boy earlier and was unsure when or how he entered the pool."I asked some of the boys in the water 'hey do you know who that is? Is he your friend?'" she said.She said they responded by saying he was "just holding his breath", "playing around" and "faking"."I wasn't sure because … kids hold their breath and play games in the pool and stuff and you're not 100 per cent sure what's happening," she told the inquest.Cyrus was taken out of the pool and given CPR before being taken to Waikerie Hospital, where he was declared dead a short time later.Lifeguards under the age of 18 must be supervised or accompanied by another lifeguard over the age of 18 at all times. (ABC Riverland: Eliza Berlage)The special counsel assisting the coroner asked the lifeguard if she was adequately prepared to supervise the areas of the pool she was assigned."Obviously it was busy, but yes I was," she said.The inquest will analyse the supervision and response of the lifeguards on duty, as well as the pool's safety systems.Supervision from the family and the response from paramedics will not form part of the inquest.The inquest will hear from other lifeguards present at the time and Royal Life Saving Australia as submissions continue this week.