THE ROYAL HUMANE SOCIETY OF AUSTRALASIA ANNUAL BRAVERY AWARDS PRESENTATION

THE ROYAL HUMANE SOCIETY OF AUSTRALASIA
ANNUAL BRAVERY AWARDS PRESENTATION

Six people of Victoria will be presented with bravery awards of The Royal Humane Society of Australasia.

The Society awards – 1 Gold Medal, 1 Posthumous Medal, 3 Bronze Medals, 1 Certificate of Merit and the 2020 Rupert Wilks Trophy for the most outstanding act of bravery by a child 12 years or under - will be presented by Her Excellency the Honourable Linda Dessau AC, Governor of Victoria.

Awards recognize rescues from:

• an armed assailant
• car accidents
• the sea

Details of the rescues are attached.

To Receive the 2020 Rupert Wilks Trophy and Certificate of Merit:

1. COOPER SAMPSON, of Newlands Arm, Vic

In going to the rescue of others from drowning in the sea at Forge Creek on 29 December 2018

At 11.00am a woman and her two children aged 6 and 7 years went to Lake Victoria foreshore. A friend of her son’s, Cooper Sampson aged 7 years also went with them. The beach is sandy and has shallow waters around 5m extending out to 10m into deep water.

The children were swimming in the shallows wearing life jackets when Mrs Williamson’s son started to have trouble swimming.

Cooper was able to guide both Mrs Williamson’s children into shallow water where they could stand.

To Receive the Bronze Medal:

2. MOHAMMAD AL ZAIDY, of Reservoir, Vic
3. YOUSSEF TAWK, of Reservoir, Vic

In going to the rescue of a man trapped in a crashed and burning car at Preston, Vic on 23 February 2019.

At 3.00am a driver lost control of his vehicle and it slid into the rear of a parked truck with the driver’s side inpacting heavily and coming to rest under the tray of the truck.

Both Mr Al Zaidy and Mr Tawk were nearby when the incident occurred and they approached the vehicle and noted that the front seat passenger was unconscious. A fire had started in the car and was gaining momentum and began to intrude into the cabin of the vehicle, producing excessive heat and toxic smoke.

Mr Al Zaidy reached into the vehicle and undid the passenger seatbelt and then with the assistance of Mr Tawk they both extricated the passenger from the vehicle.

Within seconds the vehicle was engulfed in flames and Mr Al Zaidy and Mr Tawk dragged the unconscious passenger further away fearing that the vehicle might explode.
Sadly, the driver passed away at the scene.

To Receive the Posthumous Medal:

4. EMILY BARTLEY (dec)

To Receive the Posthumous Medal:

5. CLINT DONNELLY, of Wantirna, Vic

In going to the rescue of others following a crash between a car and a motorcycle at Wantirna South, Vic on 25 September 2018.

At 10.00pm a collision occurred at an intersection where a motorcyclist travelling at speed crashed into the rear driver side of a vehicle that had stopped in the intersection to make a right-hand turn. The rider was ejected and came to rest to the rear of the car in the centre median break.

Ms Bartley stopped her car and went and stood o the roadway in front of the crashed car to communicate with the occupants when another vehicle that was travelling west in the right lane fatally struck her. Ms Bartley was thrown 10-20m west of the crashed car and came to rest on the right hand west bound lane.

Another passer-by, Mr Donnelly went to attend to Ms Bartley whilst she was on the road and performed CPR until the arrival of ambulance crews.
Sadly both Ms Bartley and the motorcyclist were pronounced dead at the scene.

To Receive the Gold Medal:

LUKE CHILCOTT, of Wangaratta, Vic

In going to the rescue and aid of a woman and her four children from an armed assailant at Wangaratta on 25 April 2017.

At about midday Mr Chilcott was at home with his wife and two young children when his neighbour and her four children fled to the Chilcott’s house in an attempt to escape her partner, who at that time was in possession of a high calibre hunting rifle.

The woman and her four children took refuge in the main bedroom of the house whilst Mr Chilcott barricaded the front door of the house to prevent entry by the man. However, the man smashed the lounge room window and then entered the house.

Mr Chilcott continued to prevent the man from progressing through the house and attempted to negotiate with him whilst having the rifle pointed at his chest. Mr Chilcott ceased his advance on the man only after he believed he was going to be shot but continued to negotiate with him.

The man continued to walk through the house looking for his partner who had barricaded herself in the main boardroom.

At this stage Mr Chilcott did a quick check of his family, his wife was behind him at the bottom of the hallway and his two boys were in the TV Room. He saw that the man was at the door of the master bedroom which was shut and he was kicking it. Mr Chilcott approached the man and told him to calm down to which the man turned to face Mr Chilcott and cocked he firearm and pointed it at him and told him to “Back Off”.

Mr Chilcott heard one of his son’s saying “They’re out”. Mr Chilcott ran to his sons in the TV room and saw the neighbour’s four children running past as well as his own wife. Mr Chilcott and his two sons followed them out of the house through a sliding door.

They then heard three gunshots in quick succession as they turned into the next street and hid behind a big fence.
They were then taken in by a nearby neighbour until the police arrived.