BRAVERY RECOGNISED.

Auckland Star, Volume XLII, Issue 244, 13 October 1911, Page 3

BRAVERY RECOGNISED.

HTJSIA'XE SOCIETY AWARDS. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) CHEISTGHURCH, Thursday. At a meeting the court of directors of the Royal Humane Society of Xew Zealand, the following awards were j made:— j Silver Medal.—Charles A. Cowan (27), for rescuing James McLeod (20) from drowning at Auckland on February 3,1 1911. At seven a.m. on the date mentioned McLcod -fell into the water at the Manukau Heads, and "was floating face downwards, when Charles Cowan, in full "working clothes, dived in to his rescue (between the steamer Putikj and a rock. 'McLcod disappeared under the surface, and Cowan failed in his iirst attempt to secure the drowning man. He dived again under the ship, this time being success' ful.. Cowan was thoroughly exhausted, and had to 'be helped up with ropes. The place where McLeod went down is infested with sharks, and had it not been j ■for the prompt rescue by Cowan the i man ■would most likely have perished. 1 Silver Medal.—George H. Voyce (17), j for rescuing Thomas IT. Gardiner (nine) j from drowning at Lyttelton on Satur- i j day, .l.nly 22, 191]. (About 8.30 p.m.. I I the night .being very dark.and' cold, just j a,s the steamship Maori was leaving the j wharf a young lad named Gardiner fell! overboard in close vicinity to the stern j of the vessel. Almost immediately George H. Voyce divested himself of his coat and jumped overboard, caught hold of the lad, and swam with him to aj pile, ■where be was hauled up on to the j wharf by the onlookers. There is noj doirbt that the act was extremely meritorious, as the. rescuer did it at the risk of his life, the. propellers of the steamer being in motion. Bronze Medal.—Clarence C. V. Davies (21). for rescuing A. S. McPhail (30) and John D. Connell (19) from drowning at Waingongoro beach at about 11 a.m. on April 2. Some, men went out to bathe, including A. S. McPhail and J. D. Connell. They had not been in very long when they started to swim back, but the current being very strong they soon got into difficulties. C. Da vies, -who was among the spectators on the. beach, soon went in to their rescue. He succeeded in getting McPhail out safely, and then Davies attached himself to a fishing line and managed to reach Connell and get ■bold of him. Then he called out for the line to be pulled, which the people on the (beach did. When Hearing the shore the line broke, aud some of the spectators had to come to their assistance. Davies showed much promptness aud great presence of mind. Framed Certificate. —Cecil Ellison (15), for rescuing William Curlew and Alfred Hart from drowning at Wellington on May 14, 1911. On the date mentioned, at about 6.20 p.m.. three boys were capsized in a 12ft sailing boat.. Curlew and Hart, could not swim. Hart scrambled up on to the bow and Ellison assisted Curlew up. alongside Hart. The boat would' not stand the weight of three boys, so Ellison volunteered to swim ashore for help, and had'much difficulty in doing so. as hp was fully dressed. He bravely fought his way in the dark to the 'boat harbour, against a strong wind, and was picked up in a very exhausted state. The boat, rid- of Ellison's weight, supported' the other two boys until they were rescued by Harbour Board men in a. bulk boat.

Certificate. —Albert Dent (35), for rescuing Harold Payne (6i) from drowning at thn Whangarei Town wharf on June 26, 101 J. At four p.m. a small ■boy named Harold Payne, who was fishing on the wharf, overbalanced himself, and fell into the water, and -being unable to swim sank several times before Dent, who was near bv. went to his rescue. After much difficulty Dent succeeded in •bringing him to the shore in a very exhausted and unconscious state. Tf not rescued at the time the lad would certainly have been drowned. Certificate. —Kenneth G. B. McLean (12). for rescuing George Nixon (10) from drowning at Auckland on November 30, 1010. At 4.30 p.m. George Nixon was swimming off the Devonport beach with water-wings, and got into deep water. The wash from a, ferry steamer took his wings away from him, and he was in danger of being drowned when Kenneth McLean, who was near by, plunged into the water and swam to his assistance. After much struggling and' difficulty the boy MeiJean succeeded in ■getting George Nixon ashore, but not before they were both very exhausted. But for the promptness and presence of mind of McLean the lad would certainly have been drowned.