THE ROYAL HUMANE SOCIETY OF AUSTRALASIA ANNUAL BRAVERY AWARDS PRESENTATION

Nine people of Western Australia will be presented with bravery awards of The Royal Humane Society of Australasia.

The Society awards – 2 Silver Medals, 3 Bronze Medals, and 4 Certificates of Merit - will be presented by The Honourable Kim Beazley AC, Governor of Western Australia

Awards recognize rescues from:

• an armed assailant
• car accidents
• house fire
• drowning
• attempted suicide

Details of the rescues are attached.

THE ROYAL HUMANE SOCIETY OF AUSTRALASIA
INVESTITURE OF AWARDS – 24 MARCH 2022
CITATIONS

To Receive the Certificate of Merit

1. ANTHONY MILBOURNE

In going to the rescue of two youth justice workers being attacked by three inmates at Malmsbury Youth Justice Centre, Malmsbury, Victoria on 3 October 2019.

At 7.30pm three inmates became argumentative with a youth justice worker. One of the inmates struck the youth justice worker with a plastic cricket bat and then continued to punch the youth justice worker who fell to the floor where he was kicked by all three inmates.

Mr Milbourne and two other youth justice workers all intervened to help and were able to separate the inmates from the assaulted worker.

Mr Milbourne himself was then attacked by one of the inmates who was then apprehended by other staff.

To Receive the Silver Medal:

2. ROBERT JAMES HYNDMAN, of Cloverdale, WA

In going to the rescue of two people trapped in a crashed and burning car a Sawyers Valley, WA on 12 June 2019.

At 10.50pm a driver veered off the Great Eastern Highway and his vehicle came to rest about 60m from the roadside after colliding with numerous trees. Following the impact, the car caught on fire.

Mr Hyndman ran to the burning car and saw that there were three people trapped inside. He went to the front passenger side door and after some difficulty managed to open it. Mr Hyndman had some problems in getting the front seat passenger out of the car as her seat belt was tangled but he finally removed it and moved her away to safety.

The male driver managed to get himself out of the car by which time the interior was fully ablaze. He was carrying a backpack which Mr Hyndman tried to take from him. The driver resisted and pulled a knife out of the backpack. Mr Hyndman grappled with the man and was able to take the knife and backpack from the man.

Sadly, the rear passenger died at the scene.

To Receive the Silver Medal:

3. ANDREW CHRISTOPHER SLEE, Police Officer

In going to the rescue of a man from a crashed and burning car at Margaret River, WA on 6 July 2019.

At 12.20am SC Slee and SC Murphy located a car which had crashed into a tree. The vehicle caught alight and the driver was unconscious.

Both police officers made multiple attempts to extract the driver from the vehicle but they were overwhelmed by smoke and heat from the flames and they both retreated to gain their breaths.

Finally, the police officers were able to free the trapped lower part of the driver’s body and they then dragged him away from the vehicle to safety. The vehicle exploded shortly afterwards.

(SC Murphy was unable to attend the ceremony).

To Receive the Certificate of Merit:

4. DAVID STEELE, Police Officer

5. DENZEL MACAULEY, Police Officer

6. STEPHEN SALMON, Police Officer

In going to the rescue of a woman from her burning home at Camillo, WA on 29 October 2020.

At 7.30pm SC Salmon, C Steele and Prob C Macauley arrived at a house that was fully ablaze with flames emanating from the front window and door.

SC Salmon, C Steel and Prob C Macauley ran through the garage which was filled with smoke and located a woman in the rear yard.

The Police Officers took the woman out of the garage to safety and tended to her prior to the arrival of emergency services.

To Receive the Bronze Medal:

7. TYLER JAMES WHITE, of Applecross, WA

In going to the rescue of a man from drowning in the Canning River, Applecross on 25 January 2020.

At 7.30pm a man was attending a hotel when he became aggressive and was escorted from the premises. The man then walked up to the Canning Bridge and jumped off it into the river below.

Another patron, Mr White was alerted and jumped into the river and saw the man splashing around in the water. Mr White swam to him and pulled him from the river, despite the man struggling to get back into the water.

To Receive the Bronze Medal:

8. JONATHAN TRIMBLE, Police Officer

9. CLAIRE MARGARET GORDON, Registered Nurse, of Greenfield, WA

In going to the rescue of a woman who jumped off the Kwinana Freeway at Mandurah, WA on 14 April 2019.

At 10.30am Ms Gordon was travelling on the freeway when she saw a woman sitting on an overhead bridge. Ms Gordon called 000 and walked up the stairs onto the bridge. The woman was threatening to jump from the bridge and she had climbed over the safety railing and was sitting on the outer ledge.

SC Barrett and F/C C Trimble arrived with F/C C Trimble making his way onto the bridge. The woman then slid herself down the ledge and went from a sitting position to holding onto the ledge by her hands.

Bothe F/C C Trimble and Ms Gordon climbed over the pedestrian safety rails onto a concrete ledge that was only about 30cm in width, making it difficult to get a secure foothold. F/C C Trimble and Ms Gordon grabbed hold of the woman’s arms and held onto the barricade with their other arm.

SC Barrett arrived on the bridge and also climbed over the safety barrier and held onto both F/C C Trimble and Ms Gordon. However, F/C C Trimble and Ms Gordon finally lost their grip and the woman fell to the ground.

SC Barrett, F/C C Trimble and Ms Gordon all ran to the police car and drove to where the woman was lying on the median strip unconscious. Ms Gordon commenced CPR on the woman with the aid of the police officers until an ambulance arrived.

Please note that SC Barrett was sent a Letter of Commendation for her actions that night.