WHEN Broulee’s Andrew Mizzi spotted two kayakers in the distance capsize offshore at Tuross Head in December last year, there was no hesitation.
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One week earlier he had received his bronze medallion as a volunteer at the Broulee Surfers Surf Life Saving Club (SLSC) and his instincts and training instantly kicked in.
Mr Mizzi said he knew the kayakers were in trouble, so he just “had to do something”.
He ran the 800 or so metres from his parent’s house, where he was earlier enjoying lunch, swam 500m across the channel and reached a man in his 20s face down in the water and unconscious.
He brought the man back to shore and began CPR.
“I got him back,” a humble Mr Mizzi said of the incident.
“To be honest I didn’t feel anything, the training just kicked in.
“He came back pretty quickly, so I was quite lucky. I then waited for about 20 minutes for the Tuross VRA to get there.
“Then I just walked back.”
Mr Mizzi was recognised for his efforts in saving the man at a national awards ceremony in Sydney on Saturday.
He received an individual meritorious award – with bronze insert, presented at the Surf Life Saving Australia Awards of Excellence.
Mr Mizzi said he felt honoured and embarrassed by the accolade, because “a lot of people do that stuff all the time”.
He simply paid tribute to his trainers at the Broulee SLSC who taught him the bronze medallion.
“Their training was impeccable,” he said.
“They’re so thorough and they make sure you know what you’re doing.
“What they do pretty much saves lives.”
Mr Mizzie continues to be involved with the Broulee SLSC. In fact not long after the kayaker rescue, he saved a young girl who went under when she was boogie boarding at Broulee.
Surf Life Saving Far South Coast lifesaving director Andrew Edmunds praised Mr Mizzi for his efforts.
“The Far South Coast branch would like to congratulate Andrew Mizzi and the Broulee Surfers SLSC for this achievement, which is very rare and so strongly deserved,” he said.
“This is a very prestigious award that Surf Life Saving Australia awards at a national level for outstanding deeds of bravery, or application of skill which have prevented a definite fatality at considerable risk to the rescuer.
“It is actually the fourth meritorious award for the Far South Coast branch awarded over the last two seasons, which reflects the terrific job our life savers have been doing.”
He said other meritorious award winners in the branch in the past year included a group certificate of merit for Moruya SLSC, Broulee SLSC and the Westpac Life Saver Rescue helicopter service for a rescue at Moruya, an individual certificate of merit for Pambula SLSC members Don Hay, Jack Hay and Andrew Holt and an individual certificate of merit with bronze insert for Anthony Bellette of Batemans Bay SLSC.