Pride of Australia 2015 awards: Kaitlin, 9, saved little sister from floodwaters

AS her little sister sat trapped in the backseat of a fast-moving car, nine-year-old Kaitlin Relf had to keep her cool but act fast.

Kaitlin Relf, 9 rescued her young sister Tara-Belle, 3, after her family were trapped in flood waters south of Brisbane earlier this year. Kaitlin has been nominated for a Pride of Australia award. Photographed with mum Andrea Relf at their Munruben home. Photo Mark Cranitch.

AS her little sister sat trapped in the backseat of a fast-moving car, nine-year-old Kaitlin Relf had to keep her cool but act fast.

Their mother had been forced out of the vehicle when it was swept off the road by raging floodwaters, so three-year-old Tara’s life was in Kaitlin’s hands.

“The first thing I tried to do was undo my sister’s (seatbelt),” Kaitlin said.

“The car was maybe half-full and she was floating on her back and crying, so I just grabbed her arm and swam out the window.”

Kaitlin began to sink so she pushed Tara to the surface, where she emerged to find their mother, Andrea Relf, clinging to a tree.

Ms Relf has no doubts the heroics of her daughter, who has been nominated for a Pride of Australia Child of Courage Medal, saved Tara’s life.

NOMINATE A HERO HERE: Pride of Australia 2015

“Had it only been Kaitlin who survived it would’ve been a miracle, but to save her sister as well was just amazing,” Ms Relf said.

She was driving her 67-year-oldmother, Kaitlin and Tara back to their Manruben home as a fierce storm savaged the state’s southeast.

It was pitch black on Greenhill Rd and she could barely see where she was driving.

“All of a sudden, we got hit by a surge of water on the left-hand side of the car,” Ms Relf said. We just got slammed and it spun the car.”

Within seconds, the floodwaters had turned the car 90 degrees and forced it off the road.

All Ms Relf could manage to shout was “take off your seatbelts” before water rushed in through the windows.

She was pushed through the driver-side window, dragged along by the strong current before being caught in a tree.

All she could do then was stare helplessly as her car submerged completely, trapping her 67-year-old mother and two daughters inside.

“I was just getting pulled in this current and I was just thinking I’m just going to keep going,” Ms Relf said.

“I didn’t want to survive losing my mum and two kids.”

Back inside the flooded car, time was running out for the three occupants.

Ms Relf’s mother escaped while Kaitlin freed Tara.

“I just saw this thing balloon up in front of me and I realised it was Tara,” Ms Relf said.

Tara was safe, held by her mother who was still holding on for her life to the tree.

Kaitlin and her 67-year-old grandmother were also able to grab a hold of a tree branch as the water threatened to pull them downstream.

For 40 gruelling minutes, the family held on until a swift water rescue team plucked them from the water and took them to safety.