ANNUAL BRAVERY AWARDS PRESENTATION

ANNUAL BRAVERY AWARDS PRESENTATION

Forty residents of Queensland will be presented with bravery awards of The Royal Humane Society of Australasia:

The awards, one Gold Medal, Nine Silver Medals, Nineteen Bronze Medals and Eleven Certificates of Merit will be presented by The Right Honourable the Lord Mayor of Brisbane, Councillor Graham Quirk.

• The awards recognize the following:
  
• The rescue of a man from a block of burning units at Roma, Qld
• The rescue of a policeman from an armed assailant at Townsville, Qld
• The rescue of a truck driver from a crashed and burning truck and subsequent explosion of ammonium nitrate at Charleville, Qld
• The rescue of a boy from drowning and electrocution at Crab Creek, Qld
• The rescue of a man from a burning house at Yarrawonga, Qld
• The rescue of two women from drowning in the surf at Surfers Paradise Beach, Qld
• The rescue of a man from a burning house at Upper Mt Gravatt, Qld
• The rescue of a man threatening to set himself on fire at Carina Heights, Qld
• The rescue of the occupants of a school mini-bus stalled in floodwaters at Kallangur, Qld
• The rescue of a woman from a crashed and burning car at Launceston, Tas
• The rescue of a man from his crashed and burning car at Toowoomba, Qld
• The attempted rescue of a man from committing suicide at Elanora, Qld
• The rescue of a police officer and the patrons of the Pacific Pines Tavern at Pacific Pines, Qld
• The rescue of a man from his burning house at Mitchelton, Qld
• The rescue of two people from a traffic accident north of Ellis Beach, Qld

Details of the rescues are attached.

Members of the media wishing to attend are requested to arrive 15 minutes before the scheduled commencement of the presentation.

The formal elements of the presentations are normally of about 40 minutes duration.

Media interviews and photographs (by mutual agreement with recipient) would take place after the presentation ceremony.

Note: The Royal Humane Society of Australasia, formed in 1874,
is concerned with giving public recognition to acts of bravery
by making awards to those who risk their own lives to save
the lives of others.
Over 8,450 awards have been made in the Society’s 142 years’ history.

THE ROYAL HUMANE SOCIETY OF AUSTRALASIA
CITATIONS – 2015/2016

To receive the Certificate of Merit
1. BENJAMIN DOUGLAS BJARNESEN

in going to the rescue of the occupant of a burning unit at Roma, Qld on 28 October 2012.

At 1.45am on 28 October 2012 S/Const Bjarnesen responded to a call in relation to a fire in a block of timber units. Unit 1 had smoke and flames coming from its roof and S/Const Bjarnesen entered the front room in an attempt to locate a man who was reported to be inside. The smoke inside Unit 1 was from the roof to approx 1.5m off the floor as S/Const Bjarnesen continued towards the second room of the unit but was overwhelmed by the smoke from burning furniture in the room and he had to retreat out of the building.

He then re-entered Unit 1 to again try and locate the occupant and was then advised that the occupant had been located and was safe.

To receive the Certificate of Merit
2. MEGAN JANE BRUNTON

in going to the rescue of a police officer from an armed assailant at Townsville on 14 December 2013.

At 12.30am 14 December 2013 four police officer including Const Brunton entered an adult entertainment venue and walked up an internal staircase, and observing no incidents, decided to leave the venue. The police officers commenced walking down the narrow staircase in single file when a man grabbed one of the police officers and stabbed him in the neck.

The police officers were able to restrain and arrest the assailant.

During the altercation Const Brunton tended to the police officer who had been stabbed in the neck until paramedics arrived.

(Unfortunately no other award recipients in regard to this incident could attend the today’s ceremony).

To receive the Gold Medal
3. JIMMY WAYNE BATEMAN

To receive the Silver Medal
4. PETER HACKWOOD
5. JAKE SULLIVAN

To receive the Bronze Medal
6. KENRIC ROBERT HEAD
7. MICHAEL BRADLEY HADJ
8. ADAM PEARSON

To receive the Certificate of Merit
9. ADRIAN PAUL RIECK

In going to the rescue of a truck driver from a crashed and burning truck and subsequent explosion of ammonium nitrate at Charleville, Qld on 5 September 2014.

At 9.10pm a semi-trailer carrying more than 50 tonnes of ammonium nitrate crashed off the Mitchell Highway at the Angellala Creek Bridge and caught fire. The truck driver got himself away from the burning wreckage and crawled up onto the bridge where he stayed until assistance arrived.

Another truck driver, Mr Bunyan stopped to help. Mr Bunyan was awarded the 2016 Clarke Gold Medal for the most outstanding act of bravery in that year and has already been presented with his award by His Excellency General The Honourable Sir Peter Cosgrvoe, AK MC (Retd), Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia.

Shortly afterwards another truck driver, Mr Bateman, arrived at the scene and he stopped to help.

Sometime later both men saw two fire trucks approaching which were manned by Lietenants Hackwood and Sullivan. As they were preparing to organise an evacuation of all those at the scene a large explosion occurred followed about 60 seconds later by yet another larger explosion. All seven people within the immediate scene were injured.

Mr Pearson who had been responding to the crash, was also injured as a result of the explosion approximately 400m north of the initial crash site which shattered his vehicle’s windscreen.

S/Const Everitt and Const Head responded to the emergency and enroute felt the explosion and a shock wave which rocked the police vehicle. Disregarding the risk of further explosions, S/Const Everitt made the decision to move past the cordon to rescue those at the scene of the crash. Const Head volunteered to accompany him and they drove to the crash site. They located the four firefighters and Mr Bateman and drove them to the outer cordon for treatment.

S/Const Everitt and Const Head then drove back to the crash site and saw Mr Bunyan tending to the driver of the semi-trailer. Qld Ambulance Service Officer Mr Hadj, accompanied by Const Head drove the ambulance to the crash site to provide medical treatment to the driver of the crashed semi-trailer.

S/Sgt Rieck conducted a sweep of the area to make sure that no further people were injured or involved in the incident.

(Unfortuntely S/C Everitt could not attend this investiture)

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To receive the Bronze Medal
10. MATTHEW DAVID CLARK

In going to the rescue of two people from a burning house at Forest Lake, Qld on 24 November 2013.

At 6.20pm on 20 November 2013 Mr Clark and his wife were travelling home when they saw smoke coming from a house.

Mr Clark crouched down and entered the house. He told a man to get out of the house and saw a woman appear from the back room. The woman yelled “we need to get him out” and pointed towards the floor.

Mr Clark saw an older man unconscious on a mattress. He picked the man up and carried him outside calling to the woman and the other man to follow him.

Mr Clark re-entered the house to ensure no other people were inside but was forced out due to the heat and flames.

The man then regained consciousness as he was tended to by Mr Clark’s wife.

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To receive the Certificate of Merit
11. CONNOR BROWN
12. JORDAN BROWN

In going to the rescue of a friend from drowning and electrocution at Crab Creek, Qld on 30 December 2014.

On 30 December 2014 Connor, Jordan and another boy went out in their tinny from the Crab Creek boat ramp into Tin Can Bay to put out some crab pots.

A sudden storm cell moved in and the boys decided to head back to the boat ramp but the rain was too heavy and visibility was poor. They decided to take shelter in the mangroves until the storm eased.

Following a large flash of lightning Jordan saw the other boy lying face down in the water twitching. He was not responsive and was not breathing.

Connor and Jordan dragged the boy back into the mangroves and found a limb to lay him on and commenced CPR. They then managed to lift him into the tinny and Jordan continued CPR whilst Connor drove the boat back to the boat ramp. On the way back the boy started to regain consciousness.

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To receive the Bronze Medal
13. STEVEN CRAIG MORRIS

In going to the rescue of a severely physically handicapped man from his burning home at Yarrawonga, Qld on 24 August 2015.

At 9.00am in Yarrawonga, Mr Morris noticed smoke coming from a nearby house. Mr Morris initially used a garden hose to play water through a window and tried to enter the house but was driven out by the smoke. A woman then returned to the house and told Mr Morris that her physically handicapped son was inside and unable to move and was trapped on the top floor.

Mr Morris went back into the house to the upper level where he could feel the heat of the fire in the floorboards. He found the man and picked him up and carried him downstairs on his shoulders and out of the house to safety.

To receive the Bronze Medal
14. AMMON SMILER HAPI
15. CHANCE WHETUKAIRANGI LIMA

In going to the rescue of two women from drowning in the surf at Surfers Paradise Beach, Qld on 4 January 2013.

At 3.40am on 4 January 2013 Former Former S/Const Hapi and Const Lima were performing patrols at Surfers Paradise Beach when they were alerted to the fact that two women were lost in the surf and that one other man had gone into the water to search for them. The only lighting at the time was from fixed floodlights on the beach.

Const Lima ran into the surf and saw a man struggling with an unconscious woman about 20m from the shore in waist deep water. Const Lima took the woman from the man and started to drag her out of the water and carried her up to the beach where she was given first-aid.

Former S/Const Hapi could see the second woman’s head bobbing up and down behind a line of breakers 30m from shore and he ran into the water and swam to her.

Mr Cash was walking home at the time, saw the incident and also swam out to help.

Both Former S/Const Hapi and Mr Cash grabbed an arm of the woman to keep her afloat. Former S/Const Hapi felt the rip begin to drag and pull him out to see so he placed his left hand on the woman’s back and pushed her and Mr Cash towards the shore. He then used the rest of his energy to swim back towards the shore in close proximity to Mr Cash.

Mr Cash put the woman in a life guard grip and pulled her back to shore and carried her onto the beach.

(Unfortunately Mr Cash was unable to attend today’s ceremony)

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To receive the Bronze Medal
16. BASIL GILBERT DAVID VAN DONGEN

In going to the rescue of a man from a burning house at Upper Mt Gravatt on 2 May 2015.

At 5pm on 2 May 2015 Snr Const Van Dongen noticed smoke and flames coming from a house in Upper Mt Gravatt and was told that the house was occupied.

He went to the rear of the building and managed to force a rear door open and crawled on his hands and knees through the thick black smoke which had an acidic smell. S/Const Van Dongen started to have trouble breathing and were forced to exit the house.

He returned to the front of the house where the male occupant of the house could be seen standing at a window.

With the help of two other men he managed to break the security door and then was able to access the house and remove the man.

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To receive the Bronze Medal
17. STEVEN ADRIAN GOODALL
18. HAYDEN STUART LEA

In going to the rescue of a man threatening to set himself on fire at Carina Heights, Qld on 14 March 2015.

At 5.30pm on 14 March 2015 S/Const Goodall and Const Lea were called to an incident where a man was threatening to set him and his house on fire at Carina Heights. They observed large flames and a bright orange glow from inside the house and S/Const Goodall kicked in the front door and he and Const Lea entered the building.

They saw a man holding a metal fuel can that was on fire with substantial flames coming from it. The man was covered in fuel and there was fuel on the floorboards. The man immediately ran at both police officers, swinging the fuel can wildly in an attempt to cover them in fuel.

S/Const Goodall and Const Lea were able to force the man backwards which allowed an officer from the Qld Fire Service to enter the dwelling with a high pressure hose. The officer hit the man with the water from the hose, which extinguished the fire. The man was then restrained by S/Const Goodall and Const Lea and they checked to make sure there were no other residents in the house.

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To receive the Certificate of Merit
19. IAN ROBERT GRAFTON
20. ROBERT JAMES RAFFERTY
21. BRIAN THOMAS KEOGH

In going to the rescue of the occupants of a school mini-bus stalled in floodwaters at Kallangur, Qld on 1 May 2015.

At 3.30pm on 1 May 2015 there was flash flooding at Kallangur and a school mini-bus transporting 5 autistic children and 3 adults stalled in floodwaters. The mini-bus became stranded at a flooded intersection and was halfway across an expanse of water approximately 200m long.

S/Const Grafton and Rafferty were notified of the situation and together with Mr Keogh who had stopped to assist, waded alongside the guard rail of the intersection where the water was above knee height.

A utility was reversed into the floodwaters to reach the bus so the occupants could be ferried out of the floodwaters back to land. By this stage the floodwaters had risen to waist height for the rescuers standing in the flooded intersection.

S/Const Grafton instructed the adults on the bus to move the children forward to the side window where they were all moved onto the utility by S/Consts Grafton and Rafferty and Mr Keogh. The utility was then driven out of the still rising floodwaters.

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To receive the Certificate of Merit
22. TYRONE JOHN GILBERT

In going to the rescue of a woman from a crashed and burning car at Launceston, Tas on 12 March 2015.

At 8.30pm on 12 March 2015 near Launceston, Sgt Gilbert witnesses a vehicle hit a tree and land on its roof in a culvert. Sgt Gilbert approached the vehicle and saw a woman in the car whose legs were trapped.

The woman managed to get herself into the rear of the crashed vehicle and Sgt Gilbert reached in through the shattered rear window. The woman reached out to Sgt Gilbert but he was unable to pull her free. The woman then started to lose consciousness.

Other stopped to assist and with their help Sgt Gilbert was able to pull the woman through the rear window and shortly afterwards she regained consciousness.

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To receive the Bronze Medal
23. CHANDANA KURUPPU

In going to the rescue of a man from his crashed and burning car at Toowoomba on 12 February 2015.

At 7.15pm on 12 February 2015 at Toowoomba a man crashed his car into a hedge on a footpath in a suburban street and it the heat from the engine caused a hedge to ignite and the vehicle to catch fire.

Mr Kuruppu saw the man slumped over the steering wheel. He got into the vehicle and pulled the unconscious man out of the car and dragged him to the safety of a nearby footpath before the car became totally engulfed in flames.

To receive the Bronze Medal
24. JASON LEE GOSLING
25. ADRIAN PATRICK BROWNING

To receive the Certificate of Merit
26. EMILY GREENBURY
27. CLINT DUSART

In going to the attempted rescue of a man from committing suicide at Elanora, Qld on 14 February 2012.

At 3.15am on 14 February 2012 police officers were asked to attend to an incident at Elanora where a man had threatened to commit suicide by self-immolation in a car in a garage.

Consts Gosling and Browning were the first officers to arrive and they entered the garage from the house as the man in the car was in the process of dousing himself with fuel and had a lighter.

S/Const Greenbury and Const Dusart arrived and positioned themselves at the doorway to the garage to render assistance and support to Consts Gosling and Browning.

The man used a cigarette lighter to ignite the interior of the vehicle which resulted in an explosion which caused major structural damage to the dwelling and total destruction of the vehicle. All four police officers were thrown backwards in the explosion with Consts Gosling and Browning suffering injuries.

The police officers obtained a car key and attempted to unlock the vehicle without success. Consts Browning and Dusart used fire extinguishers on the car but were unable to put the fire out.

Due to the presence of gas bottles all four police officers evacuated the scene before the garage became totally engulfed in flames.

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To receive the Silver Medal
28. WAYNE ALGIE
29. KELLY NICOLE GEPHART
30. MELANIE KATHLEEN GODFREY
31. NICOLE ANNE JACKSON
32. BRETT RAYMOND MacGIBBON

In going to the rescue of a police officer and the patrons of the Pacific Pines Tavern at Pacific Pines, Qld on 29 May 2011.

At 10.45pm on 29 May 2011 Det S/Consts Leeding and Jackson responded to a report of an armed robbery at the Pacific Pines Tavern. As they approached the tavern they observed two offenders. Det S/Const Leeding scaled a fence and called out “Stop Police”. Det S/.Const Jackson heard two gunshots and saw that Det S/Const Leeding had been shot. She ran to the police vehicle and called for urgent medical assistance. She then returned to the location and commenced CPR on Det S/Const Leeding.

S/Const Algie and S/Sgt MacGibbon arrived at the scene and commenced CPR on Det S/Const Leeding and remained at the scene assisting with the gather of evidence.

Consts Gephart and Godfrey attended the scene and drove in the direction the offenders were seen heading. They observed one offender running across the road and they got out of their vehicle and tackled the offender to the ground and restrained her. They heard rustling noises in the bushes nearby and believed it might be the second offender and radioed for assistance.

S/Const Algie with his police dog “Bosun” responded. They headed into bushland which was dark with no moonlight. After about 350m “Bosun’s” demeanour changed and S/Const Algie let him have more lead. “Bosun” located the offender and grabbed him and S/Const Algie was able to arrest him.

Tragically Det S/Const Leeding died as a result of the gunshot wounds he sustained.

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To receive the Bronze Medal
33. ROBERT ANTHONY COLTHORPE
34. CONNOR NEIL CUNNEEN
35. MARTIN PAYNE
36. STEPHEN LESLIE PELZER
37. SCOTT LEIGHTON HILL
38. STEPHANE ALAIN PAUL FRICOTTE

In going to the rescue of an elderly man from his burning house at Mitchelton, Qld on 9 April 2015.

At 11.55am Sgt Colthorpe was driving through Mitchelton with Major Hill and Sgt Fricotte when they saw a house on fire and stopped to investigate and were told that a 90 year old man lived alone in the house.

Sgt Colthorpe used his baton to smash a side window of the house which resulted in extreme heat and flames exiting the house and he heard the man calling out for help.

Consts Pelzer, Cunneen and Det Snr Const Payne arrived to help and they used an axe to force entry through the front security door. Sgt Colthorpe and Const Cunneen crawled through the house with a garden hose attempting to extinguish spot fire, and were unable to locate the resident and were forced to retreat due to breathing difficulties.

Major Hill and Sgt Fricotte forced entry through the rear door with the assistance of Det Snr Const Payne and Const Pelzer. However they were unable to proceed past the first room and crawled back out due to thick smoke and fire.

The man was eventually removed from the house but sadly died in hospital from severe burns.

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To receive the Silver Medal
39. ADAM ISAAC PETERSEN
40. BENJAMIN JAMES BURNELL

In going to the rescue of two people when an LPG tanker ran off the highway north of Ellis Beach, Qld on 5 January 2015.

At 7pm on 5 January 2015 an LPG tanker ran off the highway at Ellis Beach and nosedived into a waterway culvert. The truck was at a 45 degree angle in a precariously unstable position resting on two rocks below the carriageway and the cabin had been crushed and water from the causeway was entering the cabin.

Const Burnell and Snr Const Petersen climbed down to the tanker and observed the driver and a female passenger in the cabin. Both occupants were conscious but due to the crushed cabin the officers were not able to pull them from the wreckage and were only able to assist the driver by keeping the rising water out of his face. As well as the gas leak, diesel was leaking from a rupture in a separate fuel tank.

Const Burnell and Snr Const Petersen continued to maintain close contact with the driver and passenger until emergency services arrived. The driver was eventually released after more than 3 hours but sadly the passenger could not be released from the truck and died some time later.