Its sixty years today since a tragedy on Lake Taupo claimed the lives of four Wanganui Collegiate students

Stephen Kennedy, Gavin Sedcole, John Bradley, and Robert Russell died when their cherub-class yachts were caught in a sudden storm.

The young men died from hypothermia....it was a time when wetsuits weren't commonly used.

Wanganui Collegiate Museum Director Richard Bourne says Robert Russell's body was never found.

He says it'll always be a stark reminder of how lake conditions can change quickly, in this case, it took the lives of four 17 or 18-year-old school leavers who never got the chance to start their careers.