Arabic version: أوستن أبيلبي يتلقى ميدالية كلارك الذهبية

According to ABC News, Perth schoolboy Austin Appelbee has received the Clarke Gold Medal for bravery after swimming 4 kilometres in rough ocean conditions to raise the alarm for his family. The Royal Humane Society of Australasia presented one of eight bravery awards at WA Government House, eight months after the Quindalup rescue.

Austin, who was 13 at the time, was paddleboarding and kayaking with his mother, Joanne Appelbee, and two siblings when they were pushed offshore near Quindalup, 250 kilometres south of Perth. He left his family in the ocean and swam through dangerous open water for four hours to reach shore. He then ran 2km to a phone and called for help.

The society said Austin’s swim and run were instrumental in alerting emergency services and enabling the rescue of his mother, sister and brother. The family had drifted about 14km offshore and spent 10 hours at sea. Austin was recognised for “outstanding bravery and enduring commitment to the preservation of life”. He said his siblings and mother also deserved recognition, describing Joanne as “probably one of the bravest out that day”.

Joanne Appelbee received a Certificate of Merit for making what the society called “the difficult and courageous decision” to send her son towards shore. It said her judgement, composure and maternal leadership were integral to the successful rescue outcome. Other recipients included off-duty WA Police officer and volunteer firefighter Carl Pilkington, who received a Gold Medal for rescuing an older woman from a burning Marble Bar home in October 2023.