Sally Pratley wins Pride Of Australia nomination for role in saving missing child Riley Martin
WHEN Sally Pratley heard a little boy with Down syndrome had gone missing at Nambucca Heads, her industry experience told her she had to act.
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SALLY Pratley has worked with kids with disabilities for more than 12 years - so when she heard a little boy with Down syndrome had gone missing at Nambucca Heads, she knew she had to act.
After reading about four-year-old Riley Martin's disappearance on Facebook, Sally, her partner Leif O'Brien and two of the couple's seven children left their Kempsey home at 9.30pm to drive up the coast to join the search party at Shelly Beach.
"I read on Facebook that he'd gone missing with his three dogs and that the police had found his pyjama pants on the beach, so I'm thinking this poor little kid is out there, probably terrified, with just a T-shirt on," Ms Pratley said.
"I started getting dressed and said to Lief 'I have to go - I can't sit here'."
They searched until 2am and stayed the night in the back of their car before resuming their search at dawn.
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"I just couldn't sleep," Ms Pratley said. "As soon as that sun cracked the horizon I was waking everyone up to get going again."
She and Mr O'Brien returned to search a dense section of bush near a cliff edge where they thought they'd heard a dog barking the night before. Then they heard the same noise again.
"We just started running through the bush, which opened on to a grassy clearing, and Lief said 'There he is!'," Ms Pratley said.
"This little boy was face-down, not moving, his skin was blue and he was covered in scratches and dirt.
"Lief picked him up under his arms, I went to grab his legs and his skin was ice cold and I'm thinking the worst.
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"Then he turned his head and looked at us and it was just the most unbelievable moment.
"He was absolutely terrified but we started reassuring him that it was all OK and that we were taking him to his Mummy and he just cuddled in and melted into us."
Soon after, Riley was reunited with his relieved mother and his beloved dogs Missy, Nitro and Bruno, who had kept him warm during the night.
Ms Pratley's actions in dropping everything to go and help search for a stranger's child has earned her a nomination for the Pride Of Australia Community Spirit Medal.
"I'm just glad I could be a part of a miracle," she said.
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A few weeks later, Ms Pratley and Mr O'Brien took Riley and his mother Bianca to the spot where they found him.
"She just wanted to see for herself where he was and was just stunned at how precarious it was," Ms Pratley said.
"It was quite an emotional experience for everyone. Even though Riley couldn't talk you could tell he had some connection and understanding.
"All of us felt it was the dogs that kept him safe and warm."
Ms Pratley and Riley's family still see each other when they can.
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