Bravery Awards 2018 - Milla Fearnall

Six-year-old Milla Fearnall has today become 2018’s youngest Bravery Award recipient, receiving a Gold Star for saving her sister’s life.

In October last year, when she was just five-years-old, Milla was at the beach in Useless Loop enjoying a holiday with her family. She was playing in the shallow water when she noticed that her three-year-old sister Indy had fallen over and become submerged.

Without a second thought for her own safety Milla raced over the help her sister, holding her head up out of the water while calling for their mum, Kellie, to come and help.

Kellie says Milla’s bravery was a real lifesaver “We are incredibly proud of Milla for her composure and quick thinking to pull Indy up and hold her head out of the water until we got to her. She was only 5 at the time so acted so calmly and well beyond her years.”

When Kellie arrived, Indy initially seemed OK. However, a short time later she started having trouble breathing, became limp and pale. She was taken to a medical centre where she received treatment for water on the lungs.

Indy was able to survive thanks to her sister Milla’s brave efforts in pulling her up out of the water and keeping her safe, and on Friday 23rd November 2018 she will receive a Gold Star Bravery Award from Royal Life Saving Society WA.

Kellie says the award is a real honour for her daughter “It was such a surprise to hear Milla had won the award as we didn't realise she had been nominated. It's great for her to be recognized for her actions and hopefully encourage other kids her age to remain calm in scary situations. She is very excited about the award, and has used it as ammunition against her sister, saying ‘remember when I saved your life.’”

The award was handed out this morning by Royal Life Saving WA Keep Watch Coordinator Rachel Murray and Principal Marc Lockett, as part of the weekly assembly at Milla’s school, Bateman Primary. This enabled her award to educate her classmates about the importance of lifesaving skills, while also giving them a chance to congratulate her for her brave actions.

Royal Life Saving presents Bravery Awards annually, to Western Australians who’ve shown courage in saving another person’s life. Nominations are being taken for the 2019 Bravery Awards and more information is available at the link below.