Pride of Australia awards: Teenage lifesaver beat massive surf to save man

JENNIFER Webb insists she was just following her training, but her rescue of a man in dangerous seas was an amazing effort against the odds.

Jennifer Webb, 17, received the Meritorious Award at the Surf Life Saving Australia Awards of Excellence for rescuing a drowning man while she was on patrol. Picture: Troy Snook

TEENAGE lifesaver Jennifer Webb’s third straight day on ­patrol on a busy Easter holiday long weekend was never going to be a quiet one.

Rough seas meant flash rips and “swimming not advised signs” were posted up and down Killcare beach on the Central Coast but dangerous conditions hadn’t deterred a sizeable holiday crowd.

Paying extra close attention to the flagged swimming area, Jennifer and her fellow clubbies were six hours into their Easter Monday shift when ­trouble struck in the blink of an eye. One moment a group of young men were kicking a soccer ball around on the beach. The next the ball was in the water and two of them were being swept out to sea by a rip.

Jennifer was forced to drag the man to the surface by his hair before they were hit by another huge wave.

         Jennifer grabbed a rescue tube and barrelled into the ocean heading for the one in the worst shape, Sayed Hashimi, of Blacktown, a, 22-year-old nonswimmer who was ­already 80m from the shore.

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By the time she reached him he had sunk below the surface and the then 16-year-old had to reach down with one arm and pull him to the surface by the hair.

Then they were pummelled by a huge wave and sucked further away from the beach. But Jennifer did not let go and kept the barely conscious man alive by managing to fit the flotation tube around his body.

Sayed Hashimi had entered the surf to chase a ball. Picture: Facebook

“One hand was on the back of the tube to make sure the clip didn’t come off and the other arm was around him. As long as I was with him I knew I would be OK,” she said.

By the time ­assistance arrived in the form of an off-duty surf lifesaver Jennifer was already metres from the shore, carrying the man in. Jennifer’s efforts have now resulted in her being nominated for a Pride of Australia award.

“It’s really a shock. I wasn’t expecting it — I don’t look at myself as a hero,” she said. “I just did what I’ve been trained to do.”

Her supervisor at the Killcare SLSA, Craig Sheppard said: “Jen is a truly outstanding young person. The nomination came as a result of her long dedication to surf lifesaving.”

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Now in its 13th year, the Pride of Australia awards are an initiative of The Daily and Sunday Telegraphs and NewsLocal. They recognise the best unsung heroes, community leaders and stories of bravery and courage across NSW and the rest of Australia.

The awards are looking for people, just like Jennifer, who have helped their community or helped others through their selfless actions and service. This year there are no specific categories.

The awards are proudly sponsored by Imagine Cruising: imaginecruising.com.au