Silver Medal Given By Humane Society

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32252, 21 March 1970, Page 12

Silver Medal Given By Humane Society

An Auckland engine-driver who pulled a woman from the path of an oncoming goods train last year was yesterday awarded a silver medal for bravery by the court directors of the Royal Humane Society of New Zealand. He is Gordon Ray Collins, of 70 Ireland Road, Mount Wellington.

' Mr Collins was standing on! |the platform of the Panmure; I station on August 8 await-! ling the arrival of the goods! ■train. Mrs S. Fleckney crossed! (the track and reached the! !platform but fell back into; (the path of the approaching! I locomotive. Mr Collins lunged | forward to rescue her, but: icould; not reach her, so! jumped on to the track and iswept her across the path of; I the locomotive to safety. ; ’ The citation accompanying) (the award reads in part: “The! train was travelling about 15 : miles an hour and when Mr iCollins jumped into its path there was only a few feet (between him and the train. ■He showed complete disregard for his own safety and! I in the opinion of witnesses ■ was directly responsible for! (saving the woman’s life.” ; The court also awarded a

■ certificate of merit to an (Auckland boy who went to ■the assistance of a cousin who I had jumped into a hot ther- ■ mal pool at Rotorua to save a dog. On January 14 last year, Richard Brinsley Sharvin, aged 13, of 52 Flanshaw Road, Te Atatu, and his 12-year-old ■ cousin, William Bruce. Thomson, of 72 Clinkard Avenue, Rotorua, were playing on the edge of Lake Rotorua when a j dog belonging to William ■ Thomson fell into the pool, which was 4ft to sft deep. The boy jumped in after his dog but was unable to seize it Richard Sharvin, seeing that his cousin was in difficulties, pulled him out. The citation reads in part: “The immediate area of the thermal pool was very slippery and did net afford a safe footing. Sharvin, however, acted with coolness and complete disregard for his own safety. The dog continued to yelp in anguish, so the boy returned to the water to try to save it. Again Sharvin went and pulled him out.” William Thomson was severely burnt from the waist down and spent four weeks in hospital, part of the time on the dangerously ill list, before recovering.