2025 Clarke Gold Medal Recipients
On 6 June 2016, during record flooding in Latrobe, Tasmania, police were called to assist an elderly couple trapped in their home as rising waters surrounded and entered the property. The conditions were extreme, with fast-moving, debris-filled water, heavy rainfall and limited visibility during the early hours of the morning.
First Class Constables Wotherspoon, Johnston and Filler undertook multiple high-risk rescue attempts over several hours. Launching an inflatable rescue boat, they were quickly overpowered by the current and forced to withdraw. They next attempted to reach the property on foot, wading through chest-deep water in darkness and hazardous terrain. When further progress posed an immediate danger to life, they coordinated with council operators to use heavy machinery, first a backhoe and later a front-end loader, to try to reach the residence. On both occasions, the force of the floodwaters displaced the machinery and the efforts had to be abandoned.
Despite these setbacks, the officers continued their efforts. Making a final attempt by wading and swimming through the flooded paddocks behind the house, they again encountered powerful currents and floating debris and were forced to retreat for their own survival. Each attempt was made at significant personal risk, in conditions that posed a clear danger to life. Although the couple could not both be rescued that night, the officers’ sustained and selfless actions were instrumental in preventing further loss of life. Their determination, professionalism and refusal to abandon the rescue despite extreme hazards reflect the highest traditions of service and humanity.