PRESENTATION OF THE HIGHEST AWARD OF
THE ROYAL HUMANE SOCIETY OF AUSTRALASIA
The Clarke Medal
The Clarke Medal, awarded annually to recognize the most outstanding act of bravery for 2010 has been awarded to:
Senior Constable Mark Ian Tregellas
The award recognizes Snr Const Tregellas' actions in going to the rescue of a man threatening self-harm at Mallacoota on 18 July 2009.
The 2010 Clarke Silver Medal will be presented to Snr Const Tregellas
by
Her Excellency Ms Quentin Bryce, AC
Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia
at
2:00pm
on
Monday 23 May 2011
The Melbourne Town Hall
Cnr Collins & Swanston Streets
Melbourne 3000
Media representatives will be welcome from 1.30pm.
Contact: Mr Colin Bannister (03) 9650 3233 (w)/9646 3667 (h) / Sue Cutler 0400 441 467
E-Mail: bravery@rhsa.org.au
Or visit our Website: www.rhsa.org.au
MARK IAN TREGELLAS, police officer, aged 49 years, of Mallacoota, Vic, in going to the rescue of a man threatening self-harm at Mallacoota on 18 July 2009.
At midday S Const Tregellas responded to a report of a "man acting strangely" and, at the address, heard a male screaming from the rear of the block which contained a boat, a vehicle and two sheds plus a lit fire in a fireplace. He found a male, some 140kgs in weight, standing on the roof of a car, screaming incoherently. S Const Tregellas managed to talk him off the car roof and managed to start a conversation with him where the man said he intended to kill himself. He saw the man with a 20 litre jerry can of petrol which he started to pour over his boat and himself and then walked towards the fire.
S Const Tregellas ran to the heavily-built man and tried to wrestle him away from the fire, with petrol splashing about and on himself. The man then dropped the jerry can, grabbed the policeman and, screaming, asked him to drag him towards the fire. S Const Tregellas managed to pull him to the ground, handcuffed him and called for back-up.
The police took him to the local Medical Centre where the man was assessed S Const Tregellas prepared his car to transport the man to hospital. The man suddenly jumped up and, still handcuffed, ran at the plate glass doors of the surgery, crashed into them, tried again but was restrained by S Const Tregellas.
An ambulance was called whereupon the man crawled towards one of the ambulance officers and tried to bite him on the ankle. Police and ambulance men managed to get him into the ambulance during which time the man thrashed around, kicking, screaming and biting until S Const Tregellas was able to restrain him.