Bravery award for police officer

20th April 2009

A WHITSUNDAY Water Police officer who helped rescue 37 passengers off a yacht which was washed onto rocks off Hook Island last year was presented with a silver medal for bravery.

Senior Constable Brett Norris was presented with the bravery award by the Royal Humane Society of Australasia at a ceremony at Government House in Brisbane.

On February 12 last year Snr Const Norris along with a crew from the RACQ-CQ Rescue came to the aid of 37 passengers and crew of the twin masted ketch 'Romance' which had been washed onto rocks at Cape Cove, off Hook Island.

During the emergency response, rescuers were faced with 2-3 metre swells with winds blowing at 60-80kpm/h.

Snr Const Norris who had arrived at the scene on a police tender boat, swam 100 metres through surf in the dark in order to gain access to the stranded vessel.

He was then joined on the rocks by Phillip Dowler, a CQ Rescue crewman as well as a crewman from Emergency Management Queensland (EMQ) and the three climbed from rocks, in dangerous conditions onto the 'Romance'.

Snr Const Norris and the two other men then cut rigging to minimise dangers during winching, briefed the 37 stranded passengers on winching procedures and spent the next two and a half hours helping the passengers onto the winch where they were lifted two at a time to the CQ Rescue and EMQ helicopters.

Snr Const Norris was then one of the last two winched from the vessel after spending almost three hours helping passengers and crew to safety.

He was the sole recipient of a silver bravery medal, the highest honour presented at yesterday's ceremony.