FOR BRAVERY

Hokitika Guardian, 29 January 1930, Page 7

FOR BRAVERY

HUMANE SOCIETY’S AWARDS. RESCUE BY ISLANDERS. CHRISTCHURCH, Jan. 28. The Court of Directors of the Royal Humane Society of New Zealand, sitting in Christchurch• yesterday, made several awards. The directors present were: Canon AV. S. Bean (chairman), Alessrs T. H. Davey, W. H. Nicholson, C. D. Morris, A. Alorten and AV. H. 'Cheeseman.

COURAGEOUS 'ISLANDERS The principal award was to the native crew of a whale boat at 1 Garden Island, in the Phoenix Group,-when tho Isonvich City was wrecked ' on December 4. They rescued twentyfour survivors. They wero the crew of a whale boat that was sent from Apia with the steamer Trongate bo help the crew of the Norwich City when the vessel was stranded. The survivors were on the island apparently without food or water. Tlje Administrator of vVestern Sumoa\reported that the courage and perseverance of the native crew x'esulted in rescuing the twenty-four survivors. All the men in the.whale boat were British subjects. The directors awarded a silver medal to the steersman, an Ellice Islander named Alissionari, and a bronze medal to each of the other members of the crew: Pa Teata (from Tokelau) and Hale. Tama, Faletule, and two men named Leinipole (all: from Niue.)

RESCUED FROM A BULL. , Air James Henry Osborne, 58 years of age, a farmer, of Helensvillc, helped to rescue another Heleiisville farmer, Air J. G. Rimmer, and rescued Air A. J. Skelton, nurseryman, from an attack by an infuriated bull on July 10, 1929. Air Osborne, who was called by telephone, obtained a shot-gun, went by sledge to the fence of a twenty-acre paddock in which the bull was kept, and ran seventeen chains to the middle of the paddock, where Air Skelton was facing the bull. Air Osborne wounded the bull in one eye. The empty cartiidge case jammed in the breech. The two men were left with the bull careering around them. . It attacked them again, but was diverted by Air Osborne’s dog. Following the bull and extracting the cartridge case, Air. Osborne shot it again. Air Rimmer was badly injured and died. Air Skelton was awarded a silvejr medal for preventing the bull from further attacking Air Rimmer after Air Rimmer had been injured. A bronze medal was awarded to A\ . Osborne.

COMMENDATION. Letters of commendation were granted in the following cases:— Leslie Peter Fox, caretaker for the Wellington Harbour Board at Miramar, rescued a schoolboy from drowning at Aliramar wharf on April 10. The boy, who could not swim, fell off the wharf into 30 feet of water. Fox went in without removing any of his clothing and brought the boy out. Sidney Grounsell, a schoolboy, thirteen yearn of age, rescued a little boy from drowning at Boat -Harbour, Wellington, on January 27, 1929. The boy fell into the water, and was almost drowned, when Grounsell dived in and brought him ashore. Harry IC. Long, engine-driver, of Cobden, West-land, rescued a child named Eunice Clarke, of Blackball, from drowning on Alarch 10, 1929 t The child, when paddling on the Seven Mile Beac-h, walked into a hole. Long fully clothed except for his coat, rescued her from about six Feet of water. The child, when taken out, seemed to he dead, but Long, with the help' of another man, successfully applied artificial respiration. CERTIFICATES. Certificates were granted to Trevor Blomfield, of Takapuna, Auckland, and James Stuart Kinnear, dentist, of Auckland. On January 29, 1929, they attempted to rescue Air H. J. Adams, motor driver, of Ponsonby, from drowning at Te Henga Beach. North Auckland. Air Adams went out some distance in a heavy sea to warn some bathers who were thought, to be too far out to be safe. He was unable to return because of the heavy surf and strong under-current, which exhausted his strength.' His danger was c een, and in the first place three or four men, with some ladies, who were in the surf, tried to make a chain in order to reach him, • but without success. Blomfield then swam out to him, and later Kinnear went out. Blomfield was in the water for about an hour and a half and Kinnear for about an hour, but they were unable to bring Air Adams in, and be disappeared. Both the rescuers were exhausted, with their long efforts, and Kinnear had to be assisted ashore. •