Navy cadet fought waves to save others
Sydney Morning Herald
Monday March 15, 2010
"I DON'T know how I picked up the courage," Michelle Lakin says. "You just don't know what you're capable of until you get into these situations."Ms Lakin, 25, is one of 68 people to be awarded Australian Bravery Decorations.They will be announced today by the Governor-General, Quentin Bryce.A recipient of the Commendation for Brave Conduct, Ms Lakin was 15 in 2000 when she and two other teenage naval cadets capsized in nasty weather in Broken Bay, off the Central Coast.Ms Lakin, who now serves with the navy and is based in Darwin, swam out to recover her companions each time the boat turned over."We were unable to right the craft and soon became exhausted in the heavy seas," Ms Lakin said."We had two- to three-metre swells and were very close to Lion Island. That was a bit scary because we weren't sure whether the dinghy was going to drift to the island and smash onto the rocks."Ms Lakin's citation says she "maintained her composure, reassuring and supporting the cadets as their situation worsened".Fighting fear and hypothermia, the three teenagers clung to the upturned boat for more than two hours. Rescuers were unable to reach them."My CO, who was in the sea boat trying to get close to us, kept screaming, 'We can't come closer! It's too rough!"'She tied her companions' life jackets together to prevent them separating. "I held them tight and eventually we got onto the top of the boat and I was hugging them and, to take their minds off what was happening, I sung to them. It's weird what you do in these situations."The bravery awards, established in 1975, recognise civilians who risked their lives to save those in peril.This year's major award, the Star of Courage, went to a Western Australian newsagent, Ronald Gianoncelli, who successfully fended off an armed robber after being shot by him.
© 2010 Sydney Morning Herald
Share This