‘Dingo bit her head’: Young boy saves cousin from terrifying attack

When 12-year-old William Farley saw his little cousin screaming in terror as a dingo attacked her in the water on K’gari he didn’t hesitate.

When 12-year-old William Farley saw his little cousin screaming in terror as a dingo attacked her in the water on K’gari he didn’t hesitate.

The Kallangur schoolboy leapt into action, racing through the shallows of Waddy Point lagoon to save the tiny 6-year-old from a potentially fatal mauling.

Ignoring his own safety, William whacked the dingo on the rump before chasing it away from the area.

His gutsy actions have earned him a commendation for brave conduct in the annual Australian Bravery Decorations announced overnight by Governor-General David Hurley.

William Farley, now 13, sprinted through the water to save his cousin from a dingo. Photo: Steve Pohlner.

In one of a spate of recent dingo attacks on K’gari, William was visiting the island with family in April last year when he saw the wild dog approach his cousin.

The dingo lunged at the girl, grabbed the back of her head in its mouth, pushed her underwater and tried to drag her away.

“There were eight of my cousins in the water and I was on the shoreline,” William, now 13, recalled of the terrifying incident.

“A dingo was walking just on the edge of the water heading towards my cousins. I started walking down towards the water because my youngest cousin was very close in and a dingo was getting near her as she was laying in the water.

A high-risk dingo fitted with a GPS collar on K'gari.

“As I’m starting to walk down, the dingo just got up and ran at my cousin. She was screaming and yelling for her mum. The dingo had its two front legs around her and was biting her on the head.

“I ran through the water, got to the dingo and struck it and chased it up the beach.”

His cousin was flown by helicopter to hospital with multiple bite wounds but thankfully recovered.

William, a Year 9 student at Mt Maria College, said he acted on instinct and did not regard himself as a hero.

But his dad David, who was not on the island at the time but nominated him for the bravery award, begged to differ.

“I’m just super proud of him and he definitely deserves the recognition for what he did,” Mr Farley said.