Bravery award for Angourie Man

ANGOURIE man, Michael Williams, who swam 10 hours to shore to get help after a trawler capsize will receive a prestigious NSW Bronze Medal for his bravery.

Michael Williams of Angourie to receive Bronze Medal for bravery.

ANGOURIE man, Michael Williams, who swam 10 hours to shore to get help after the trawler he was working on capsized off the North Coast in 2008 has been notified he will receive a prestigious, Royal Humane Society of NSW Bronze Medal for his bravery.

Mr Williams along with crew mates, Alan "Charlie" Picton and John "JJ" Jarrett were working on a trawler when it snagged its fishing nets on a reef about 16 kilometres off the coast of Byron Bay at about 1am on February 27 2008.

The trawler began to capsize leaving the crew members just seconds to make it out from below decks as cold, pitch-black water flooded into the vessel.

Although all three crew members managed to escape the trawler before it sank, they were left exhausted, injured and clinging onto debris far out to sea.

Mr Williams, despite suffering from deep cuts decided to swim the daunting distance to shore through shark inhabited waters to get help for his two mates.

As a result of the following search, Mr Jarrett was found alive, still clinging to an esky but Mr Picton, who had been recovering from an illness at the time, had slipped away and was never found.

Mr Williams was nominated for the Royal Human Society Bronze Medal for his efforts by his Doctor, Alan Hopcroft of Taree and was successful.

He will receive the medal in a ceremony at Government House, Sydney in November next year.

Originally published as Bravery award for Angourie Man