Bridge Rescue Brings Awards

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31862, 14 December 1968, Page 1

Bridge Rescue Brings Awards

Two Auckland men who early on July 28 prevented a woman from throwing herself from a girder on the extensions to the Auckland harbour bridge were awarded bronze medals by the Royal Humane Society of New Zealand yesterday.

They are Messrs J. J. Donnelly, aged 42, of Mangere, and J. t>. E. Shaw, aged 52, of Green Lane. Investigating reports that a pedestrian had been seen' crossing the bridge near the extension works, they found the woman on a large girder running beside the main bridge. The girder was not

fenced and from it was a drop of 100 ft. The woman fought violently when the men, both bridgecontrol officers, seized her. All three were in a precarious position on the extreme edge of the girder, and there was a very real danger of all falling into the sea, the citation says. Slowly the woman, who Was above average height and weight, was dragged to the bridge rail. Between the main bridge' and the extension was a gap of about 18in, and the woman attempted to drop through this before being pacified by the offer of a cigarette.

While the woman was smoking, Mr Donnelly got an emergency vehicle and Mr Shaw stayed with her. She refused to climb over the rail, so Mr Shaw picked her !up, stepped over the gap on to the concrete kerb and handed her over the rail to Mr Donnelly. The woman was taken to hospital. A certificate of merit was

awarded to Mr L. A. Pollock, aged 51, of 9 Lisburn Avenue, Dunedin, for saving a- companion lineman from serious injury by breaking his fall from a 20ft pole on the outskirts of Dunedin on August 9. Barry James McNeill, aged 16, of 22 Queen Street, Auckland, was also awarded a certificate . of. merit, for helping to rescue a man who was drowning in Little Shoal Bay. Pforthcote, at 11 p.m. on August 15. His companion in the rescue, Mr J. A. Pollard, aged 43, of 18 Queen Street, will receive a letter of commendation. A similar letter will also be sent to Mr M. L. Ashwell, aged 23, of 22 Sumner Street, Devonport, for his rescue of a man in the sea at Queen’s Wharf, Auckland, on the night of April 23. Mr Ashwell jumped from a ferry, towed the man back to the ferry and' applied mouth-to-mouth resuscitation until the arrival of an ambulance. The man i (died in hospital.