ANNUAL BRAVERY AWARDS PRESENTATION

Three residents of Tasmania will be presented with bravery awards of The Royal Humane Society of Australasia

on Friday 7 May 2010

at Government House, Hobart

at 4.30pm

The awards, two Silver Medals and one Bronze Medal will be presented by His Excellency The Honourable Mr Peter Underwood, AC Governor of Tasmania at the investiture of awards within the Order of Australia and the Society.

The awards recognize

 

Details of the rescue is attached.

Contact:

(03) 9650 3233
Or visit our Web Site: www.rhsa.org.au

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 7,830 awards have been made in the Society’s 135 years’ history.

 


THE ROYAL HUMANE SOCIETY OF AUSTRALASIA

CITATIONS

SILVER MEDAL

WILLIAM PAUL LEES, aged 60 years, of Sisters Beach, Tas.

SILVER MEDAL

JADE ANTHONY SHADBOLT, aged 26 years, of North Motton, Tas, in going to the rescue of a Canadian kayaker from drowning at Conical Rocks, NW coast of Tasmania on 29 January 2008.

A kayaker was on hi s17thday of a solo circumnavigation of Tasmania in his 5.8m sea kayak. On the morning he assessed the weather conditions of strong winds and high seas and launched his kayak to make a closer assessment. He paddled out through the reef in winds of 15-18 knots and wave heights of 4.3m and decided to return to shore. His kayak was swamped by a large wave and he was tossed into the surf. He managed to swim 30m to his kayak and eventually righted it.

Messrs Shadbolt and Lees were staying in a shack nearby on the shore. Mr Shadbolt saw something white sticking out of the water and with binoculars, identified the object as a kayak. The two men contacted Tasmania Police who advised that the first rescue asset would arrive at about midday. The two men decided to take their dinghy to make the rescue and in waves higher than their craft was long, located the kayak, dragged the unresponsive, hypothermic kayaker into their boat and brought him to shore.

(On behalf of Mr Shadbolt, his father will collect his award)

BRONZE MEDAL

DANIEL CHAN JOHNSON, aged 15 years, of Geeveston, in going to the rescue of a man from a knife-wielding assailant at West End, Qld on 26 December 2003.

At 5.30am a pensioner was sitting on the verandah of his unit when, unprovoked a man walked into his unit area and stabbed him in the throat. An elderly neighbour responded to the call for help and was herself stabbed.

Mr Johnson, a neighbour, responded to the cries for help. As Mr Johnson tended the victim, the assailant again approached the scene as the victim identified the assailant to Mr Johnson. Mr Johnson confronted the assailant who then attacked Mr Johnson, stabbing him several times in the body.

Another neighbour, armed herself with a piece of wood and tried to separate the assailant from Mr Johnson who was then stabbed again and then the assailant left.

(Other award recipients in regard to this case have been invested with their awards at a presentation ceremony at Government House, Brisbane)