Port Macquarie creek rescue hero Scott Upston meets elderly man he rescued, Bob Hood

An 83-year-old who was moments from death with his head just above water after falling into a creek has been reunited with his modest rescuer, who says “it’s in our DNA” to help others.

Scott Upston with Bob Hood, who he rescued from a creek at Port Macquarie. The 83-year-old fell down a steep embankment, leaving just his head above water and his legs tangled in vines.

Port Macquarie man Bob Hood – who was moments from death with his head just above water after falling in a creek on his regular walk – has been reunited with the people who saved his life.

Scott Upston was the man who leapt into the water to save the 83-year-old after a runner flagged down his car along Shelly Beach Rd near Wrights Creek on Friday, February 9.

“Keera (Addison) was running along with her headphones in and noticed the walker down the embankment slightly tipped over and the wheels lodged into the vegetation, so she had a look around and found him down in the creek,” Scott said.

“The walker had catapulted him in and he was only just keeping his head above water.

“It was very fortunate, as nobody might have seen him for some time – I hate to think what might have happened.”

Scott Upston in action rescuing Bob Hood, who fell into Wrights Creek while walking on Shelly Beach Rd on Friday, February 9.

Another photo of the timely rescue.

Scott scrambled down the bank and could see Bob had little strength left to keep his head above water and a lot of blood on his head.

“There were so many ways it could have gone. He could have impaled himself on a branch; there was a rusty bike in the creek he could have hit.

“The universe just said today was not his day,” Scott said.

Bob Hood reunited with runner Keera Addison, who spotted Bob’s walker in vegetation at the side of the road. She was inquisitive enough to have a look and found Bob in the creek with his head just above water. She flagged down Scott Upston to help.

He quickly assessed that Bob was conscious, breathing and there were “no bones sticking out”.

Scott said he reassured Bob and told him everything would be all right.

He realised he would not be able to get Bob up the steep embankment by himself and calls were made to the police and paramedics – but the first call was to Bob’s wife, Diane.

Although Bob has vascular dementia triggered by a severe stroke four years ago, he was able to remember her number. He is also blind in his left eye and has limited mobility.

“He usually takes about 25 minutes (on the walk), but when he’d been gone longer I went for my phone and it started ringing – somebody said ‘he’s OK, we’ve called the ambulance’,” Diane said.

Diane and Bob Hood from Port Macquarie.

After the stroke, Bob was urged to keep as active as possible.

“Doctors said he wouldn’t walk again but they didn’t know my husband,” Diane said.

Although Bob often walks along the same stretch, it was the first time he had been there since road widening work undertaken by Port Macquarie-Hastings Council.

“They’ve done a wonderful job on the road, but there’s nowhere safe left to walk,” Diane said after the fall.

“What if it had been a young child who fell in?”

New reflective markings along Shelly Beach Rd at Port Macquarie.

Diane said the council has not responded to concerns in relation to the incident, but she has noticed more reflective plastic posts have been placed along the side of the road.

Bob had stitches put in his head and he has been slowly recovering from the physical and mental impacts.

“It would have been very traumatic and scary for anyone let along an 83-year-old,” Scott said.

Bob’s left shoulder will require a lot of physiotherapy, but he was in good spirits when he met with Scott a week after the incident.

Scott describes himself as a type of FIFO (fly-in-fly-out) worker, who operates gyms in Victoria. He lives at Port Macquarie with his wife Tania.

“Bob was very grateful when we met up and still quite shaken up about the whole thing and getting around very gingerly,” Scott said.

“We had a laugh when I saw a Parramatta supporter’s flag on the wall and I said ‘If I knew that, I would have left you in the water’.”

Scott said he believes it’s the Australian way to help others in need – “it’s in our DNA, one hundred per cent”.

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