Family & Relationships Everyday Heroes

[CD Xbow]

I wanted to post about Austin Appelbee recent incredible 4km swim to get help to save his mother and siblings. It is an amazing story and should be celebrated but I couldn't find anywhere it neatly fitted, hence this thread. In my life I have met a few people who have done extraordinary, heroic things and all of them were just normal folks, so I thought a thread to capture those stories might be useful.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02-03/teen-speaks-after-saving-family-in-geographe-bay/10629879

Austin Appelbee: Australia boy, 13, describes swim to save family

Austin Applebee recounts his 'superhuman' swim which saved the lives of his mother and siblings in Australia.

www.bbc.com

What a tough decision for his mother to make!

It's also a salutary lesson on just how quickly things can go bad at sea.
I suspect Mrs Appelbee regards the cost of Austins swimming lesson as money well spent.

 

[jb04]

Every single one of these legends.

I'd have been homeless 11 years ago if not for their selfless acts in the Sampson Flat bushfires.

 

[Chicago1]

In September of 1966, a friend of our family and the father of a fellow classmate was selling candy for charity(the local Kiwanis club) at the town railroad station. A woman on crutches fell on the train tracks and he ran to save her. Both were killed.

The Kiwanis "courage" award primarily refers to the Robert P. Connelly Medal of Heroism, which honors individuals (often first responders or citizens) who risk their personal safety to save others. This prestigious international award recognizes extraordinary acts of bravery that go beyond the call of duty.

It happened almost 60 years ago, yet I still tear up remembering the day.