Andrews Farm teenager Kayla Cameron nominated for Bravery category in Pride of Australia medal
SOMETIMES, in times of desperation, an angel might appear. In past seven months, Andrews Farm teenager Kayla Cameron has been that angel for two strangers.
SOMETIMES, in times of desperation, an angel might appear.
In past seven months, Andrews Farm teenager Kayla Cameron has been that angel for two strangers.
In December last year she came upon the scene of an accident, where a middle-aged man had stopped breathing.
Kayla helped resuscitate him, doing compressions on the man’s chest directing his wife as she breathed life back into his lungs, until the police and ambulance services arrived and took over.
Then, earlier this month, the usher at Adelaide Oval, who is hoping to become a police officer, had caught the train to the Elizabeth rain station after her shift, where she found a young woman trying to jump in front of a train.
“Myself and another person tried to hold her back, but she jumped down and went and sat on the tracks,” Kayla said.
“So I followed her and sat down next to her and started talking to her.
“I told her that everything was going to be all right, I reassured her that not everyone was against her.
“I tried to talk her out of it as much as I could, I told her there were lots of people who could help.”
Kayla said in that moment, she didn’t care about her own welfare, she just wanted to help the woman.
“I knew there were 10 minutes until the next train was due … I wanted to show her that there were people who did care,” she said.
After talking her off the tracks, Kayla helped the woman back onto the platform, and stayed with her until the police arrived.
Kayla has been nominated for a Pride of Australia award, in the Bravery category, but she said she did not help others to be recognised, simply because she could.
“My mum used to be a volunteer paramedic and I’ve done a first-aid course, so I just did what I could,” she said.
For information about the prevention of suicide, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14, the SANE Helpline on 1800 18 SANE (7263) or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636
Quick action rescues neighbour in inferno
By Andrew Dowdell
AS flames engulfed a Taperoo house, father-of-two Brett Montgomerie didn’t hesitate about running into the fire to save his neighbour from almost certain death.
Mr Montgomerie, 41, said it was luck he and his wife were outside at 11pm when the home across Military Rd burst into flames last December.
He grabbed two fire extinguishers and sprinted into the burning house. “I got most of the flames out fairly quickly but I could hear that someone else was inside moaning,” he said.
Overcome by smoke, he was forced outside but found a torch and returned to drag the man from the charred house.
“I do a lot of dangerous work as a truck driver so I’m always risk assessing. It was very much a case of ‘my neighbour’s in trouble, just do it’,” he said.
Mrs Montgomerie said her husband deserved his nomination for Outstanding Bravery in the 2015 Pride of Australia Awards.
“If Brett hadn’t been here the guy would have died or at best he would have had really severe burns,” she said.