DUO SAVES LIFE
“I offer my sincere thanks and gratitude to both members ... you can be proud” ... Ian Whyte, CI Police

Sergeant Whyte’s letter to COMNORCOM I wish to bring to your attention the circumstances surrounding a near drowning which took place around 0940 on Wednesday February 26 2003 in Flying Fish Cove, Christmas Island and commend the brave, quick-thinking actions of CPL Andrew Douglas, 4 MP COY and AB James Burns, HMAS Warramunga in averting certain tragedy. Briefly, a 34-year-old male visitor to Christmas Island entered the waters with another male companion to snorkel. The sea conditions at the time consisted of 1.5 metre swell accompanied by strong NW gusts making any water activity hazardous. Within a short period of time, the condition sapped the energy of the swimmers who were battling both rough seas and a tidal rip. One of the swimmers, Chris, lost a fin and was in acute difficulty. CPL Douglas and AB Burns were off duty and saw the distress attempts by Chris, who was now some 30-40 metres from the jetty in open water. They quickly appraised the situation and after equipping themselves with ADF life jackets and inflatable life buoys, entered the waters at considerable personal risk to assist the swimmer. They reached Chris and successfully returned him safely to the jetty. Quite clearly, their brave actions at the time saved a life. I later had a conversation with Chris at the hospital where he said to me that he was near exhaustion and moments from drowning. Again, I highly commend the actions of CPL Douglas and AB Burns, who both demonstrated bravery and decisiveness when called upon. On behalf of the community of Christmas Island, I offer my sincere thanks and gratitude to both members of whom you can be most proud.

By SBLT Ben Rahilly

ABCSO James ‘Monty’ Burns and CPL Andrew Douglas of 4 MP Coy, currently attached to HMAS Warramunga (CMDR Ian Middleton) as part of Op Relex II, rescued two Christmas Island (CI) locals on Thursday, February 27.

ABCSO Burns and CPL Douglas were in the vicinity of the CI jetty when they saw Mr Chris Richards-Scully and Mr Des Hill having difficulty swimming.

Caught in a rip and in a 1.5m swell, Mr Richards-Scully and Mr Hill began yelling for help as they struggled to make their way back to the jetty.

Thinking quickly, CPL Douglas and AB Burns grabbed life jackets from a nearby shed and began swimming out to the two struggling civilians, approximately 30m away.

The Warramunga pair used the life jackets to keep the exhausted locals afloat, and dragged them toward the jetty.

It took CPL Douglas and AB Burns approximately 10 minutes to drag the pair to a ladder leading up to the jetty.

By the time the locals were safely back on dry land, local Australian Federal Police personnel and a small group of bystanders had gathered to offer assistance.

Suffering from exhaustion and dehydration, Mr Richards-Scully was transferred to the Christmas Island Hospital for observation; however, he was released during the course of the afternoon. AB Burns and CPL Douglas were praised by the AFP and local community for their quick actions in preventing a near tragedy.

.