General News
18 October, 2024
Award furore: Local flood rescue heroes snubbed
THE integrity of Australian Search and Rescue Awards is under attack after two State Emergency Service units on Thursday night was given the credit for a dramatic creek rescue at Wedderburn during the summer storm floods. A Wedderburn man, 60, and...
THE integrity of Australian Search and Rescue Awards is under attack after two State Emergency Service units on Thursday night was given the credit for a dramatic creek rescue at Wedderburn during the summer storm floods.
A Wedderburn man, 60, and his dog were rescued from swelling waters of the Nardoo Creek on January 2 but witnesses say any honours should have gone to local police sergeant Ben Huisman and Andrew Roberts who were fitted with safety equipment and Matthew Tansley, Scott Cunningham and his 15-year-old son Will who held the rope.
Former Wedderburn SES volunteer Reg Holt stood on the banks of the surging creek the evening of the rescue and says the award to the SES. is an insult to locals.
“They were the ones who went in and saved a life ... the SES was standing on the sidelines, unable to make a decision without clearance from someone in an office in Bendigo or Melbourne,”
“The best they did was give the locals the rope to use. Continued pontification by the SES that night could have been deadly if not for the real heroes, the locals who acted before it was too late.”
Witnesses, including fire brigade members have today also questioned the Australian Search and Rescue Awards’ ‘Professional Volunteer Award’ being given to the State Emergency Service.
They have contacted the Loddon Herald throughout today and also posted comments of annoyance under SES social media posts, only to have the comments removed.
But the SES has posted to social media today (Friday): "Members from Marong and SES Bendigo Unit arrived just in time as the vehicle and its occupants got washed away shortly after. The team was able to quickly spring to action and successfully rescued the man and his dog."
Both the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, that acts as secretariat for the National Search and Rescue Council, and the State Emergency Service have been contacted but responses on who made the nomination and the assessment processes have not been revealed.
The council's website says: "These prestigious awards are in recognition of outstanding contribution to search and rescue within the Australian region during the previous financial year. The awards and commendations recognise individuals, groups or organisations that have made a significant contribution to search and rescue in Australia and deserve recognition at a national level. Any person or organisation can nominate candidates for NATSAR Awards by completing the official nomination form."
A statement by the SES today praised its Marong and Bendigo unit members on winning the prestige award at Thursday night's presentation ceremony in Sydney and claimed other people had become trapped in waist-deep water.
The SES said: "With one patient and their dog trapped inside the vehicle, James sprinted along the bank with a personal floatation device (PFD) and assisted others who had become trapped in the waist-deep water, while a crew of volunteers in a utility raced to get ahead of the vehicle. Knowing the volunteer responders would likely only have one opportunity to access the patient with a rescue line, when the submerged vehicle briefly became snagged on debris in the creek, James tossed a line with precision into the flowing water, and successfully helped the driver to shore. The patient’s dog was also able to free itself from the vehicle and safely swim from the creek, when it was reunited with its owner. Both were safely brought to shore moments before the vehicle became fully submerged and washed further down the flooded creek."
Within hours of the rescue, the Loddon Herald reported that Sgt Huisman and Mr Roberts had gone into waist-deep in water. "And it was flowing," Sgt Huisman said.
"Andrew and I carried the man out of the water ... it was a real community effort."
Sgt Huisman said the man had been lucky that vehicle did not flip when it was pushed into the creek at Tantalla Street.
"That was sheer luck," he said.
"Once we rescued the man, the car kept floating and then became submerged apart from a few centimetres of the aerial."
The off-duty sergeant had been dressed in basketball shorts and singlet when he arrived at the scene. "I went back to the station, grabbed a radio and everything happened from there. We were all (the rescue team) in shorts and T-shirts or singlets."
Witnesses to the dramatic rescue have hailed the six - Scott Cunningham and his 16-year-old son Will, Matthew Tansley, Andrew Roberts, Ben and Gabby Huisman - as local heroes who were guided from the side by SES volunteers from St Arnaud and Bendigo.
"I really appreciate the efforts of everyone involved, especially the locals. It was about community getting together to save a local," Sgt Huisman said.
The rescued man was taken by ambulance to Bendigo hospital and released the next day.
Brad Dalgleish, who was the SES operations manager for Loddon region at the time, told the Loddon Herald on January 3 that its "specially-trained Land Based Swift Water Rescue operators (had be involved in) effecting a rescue and potentially saving the life of a male as his car was swept from the road."
* Both the authority and SES have been contacted for details on the nomination, assessment and other processes in deciding award recipients.