When Brinkworth lad Angus Hahn woke in his dad’s van recently on a fishing trip, he was surprised to find no sign of his father.

Mick Hahn had taken his 11-year-old son on a successful three-day fishing trip to Port Hughes, and after two days they already had plenty of squid and fish fillets on ice in the esky.

But when Angus woke up at 5:30 in the morning and his dad wasn’t there, he decided to have a look around.

Angus left the van, heading down the jetty and taking the opportunity to catch a couple of nice squid while he was there.

It was then that he became aware of ambulances and paramedics further down the coast, and a four-wheel-drive heading across the beach, towards the rocks.

He didn’t think too much of it until he went to look inside a nearby shop and heard people talking about a man’s body being recovered from the beach.

Seeing a policeman nearby, Angus asked him, “Do you do missing adult reports?”

The officer, seeing Angus’s very short hair, responded, “Does your dad have a haircut like yours?” Angus said yes, and, when requested, searched the van and found his father’s wallet and car keys, thus solving both the mystery of his missing dad, and of the unidentified man found unconscious three kilometres away at the water’s edge!

A police investigation subsequently pieced together the story.

Mr Hahn had strolled down the Port Hughes jetty for a quick walk before bed, and slipped on some bait, invisible in the darkness.

He fell and hit his head, landing unconscious in the water, and drifting three kilometres along the coast before being washed ashore.

Three hours later, an American taking a walk along the beach found Mr Hahn near the water, face down and unconscious.

He was taken to Moonta Hospital, and then airlifted by Flying Doctor to the Royal Adelaide Hospital, suffering from hypothermia and hypoglycaemia.

Blood tests revealed no drugs or significant level of alcohol in his system and he had not been depressed.

Nor, was any evidence found that his passion for fishing had led him to grow gills, as his wife Barbara believes he must have to have survived!

The family expressed their

sincere thanks to Kadina police officers Rob Tucker and Lawrie Rowe, for looking after Angus and taking him to join his father at Moonta Hospital.

Mr Hahn is now recovering at home.