The Royals commend the 2018 Bravery Award recipients
Outstanding acts of bravery were commended and awarded at the 2018 Royal Life Saving Society WA Bravery Awards recently.
45 heroic individuals were honoured during a ceremony hosted at the State Reception Centre in Kings Park, attended by The Honourable Wayne Martin AC, Lieutenant Governor and Administrator of Western Australia.
The Royal Life Saving Society WA accepts nominations for the Bravery Awards throughout the year, to identify and reward people in our community who have taken extraordinary actions to save another person’s life.
This year The Royals acknowledged a wide variety of individuals who performed acts from in-water rescues in Western Australia and overseas, through to performing life-saving first aid on the road side following serious road accidents.
We have some very deserving awardees who’ve each been involved in outstanding acts of bravery. Many of the recipients remarked on their abilities to remain calm in the life-threatening situations, with many acting purely on their instincts, relying on their lifesaving training and the very human need to assist those in trouble.
Gold Star recipient, Mark Lush, who assisted in saving the lives of two people caught in a strong river current, remarked ‘I felt a very human need to do something because no one else was there. I sized up the situation, thought about it logically and knew I had a good chance to help and got right into it.’
Helen Loake, a Gold Medallion recipient who assisted in saving the life of an elderly woman, Lesley, at HBF Stadium, remarked ‘I didn’t expect to be nominated for an award – the greatest award, the thing that fills me with a great deal of pride, is seeing Lesley back in the water swimming again with confidence.’
Helen also spoke of the importance of undertaking life saving training, ‘I recommend everybody get a basic CPR qualification because you never know when you’re going to need it – the more qualified you are in saving a life the better prepared you are in every lifesaving situation.’
Royal Life Saving Society WA’s Chief Executive Officer Peter Leaversuch says each award recipient displayed exceptional courage, empathy and initiative by applying lifesaving skills in emergency situations and sometimes at risk to themselves.
“The bravery and commitment of these individuals in saving lives is an excellent example to all Western Australians and deserves our highest recognition. It sends the strongest message possible about the importance of obtaining lifesaving skills.”
The recent Royal Life Saving National Drowning Report revealed that almost half (41%) of WA’s drowning deaths occurred in the summer months during 2017/18.
“As we approach another summer I encourage everyone to think about how they might, in their own way, contribute to drowning prevention, and saving lives. It may be to improve your own skills in CPR, first aid or rescue, to raise awareness amongst your family, friends or workplace, or to help someone in need. Everyone can be a lifesaver” Mr Leaversuch said.
The Royal Life Saving Society WA congratulate and commend all the 2018 Bravery Award recipients and thank them for all their courageous efforts in saving lives and promoting safety awareness in WA.