Georgia Hart, Levi Knight, Jayda Williams hailed as heroes for stepping in to save tourist Tony Stuart’s life

Three Year 10 students are being hailed for intervening to rescue a tourist whose life was ‘ebbing away’ in the midst of a Gold Coast visitor hub. Read about their heroics.

Tony Stuart was on a three-week trip to Australia when he took ill.

Three Benowa State High School students have been praised for stepping in and using first aid skills to help save the life of a tourist after he collapsed in a Broadbeach street.

Year 10 students Georgia Hart (15), Levi Knight (16) and Jayda Williams (15) were walking on Surf Parade at about 6pm last Friday when they noticed a commotion in a car park at the front of the Belle Maison building.

Lying stricken on the ground was 59-year-old Tony Stuart, his life ebbing away despite the frantic efforts of family and friends.

“We were walking along the street, and as we were walking by we could see somebody on the floor and everyone crowding them,” said Georgia, who is also trained as a lifeguard at Kurrawa SLSC.

“We stopped to have a look, then we saw the lady drop down and start CPR. And that’s when I said to Levi and Jayda, I’m trained in first aid, should we go over?

“We all walked over and Levi ended up doing the defib, I was on compressions and Jayda was talking to Triple 0.”

Georgia Hart 15, Levi Knight 16 and Jayda Williams 15, the three Benowa High students who have been hailed as heroes after saving the life of a tourist in Broadbeach by performing CPR until the ambulance arrived. Picture: Glenn Hampson.

Mr Stuart, a tourist from Ireland visiting relatives in Australia for the first time, had been returning to his unit when he collapsed, hitting his head hard on the ground as he fell.

The medical episode had been caused by a brain bleed, and he soon also began to go into cardiac arrest.

The trio said it was a confronting scene, with Mr Stuart’s wife Colette distraught.

“There was blood everywhere because he hit his head when he fell down,” Levi said.

“The most surreal thing was Colette’s reaction: ‘Please don’t leave me Tony’,” said Georgia. “It was bringing tears to my eyes.”

Jacqui Cassidy, whose husband is related to Mr Stuart, said they were returning from dinner when the incident happened.

Ms Cassidy, a registered nurse, had commenced CPR but was in desperate need of help before the three students arrived.

“It’s hard to keep going by yourself and then they come along. They were a godsend. They were calm and mature and so collected. It was wonderful. The training with surf lifesaving is just a wonderful thing,” Ms Cassidy said.

“ … I don’t know I could have kept going any longer.

“They have definitely helped to save his life.”

Tony Stuart with wife Colette during their trip to the Gold Coast.

Mr Stuart’s family are grateful for a number of twists of fate, without which he may not have survived. The defibrillator unit used had only recently been installed at the unit block, while the trio were only in the area because of a chance encounter between the two girls and Levi, who was on his way to work.

They are also grateful the teenagers stopped, unlike many adults who also witnessed the scene.

“People drove around him,” Jayda said.

“Jacqui had been there pumping his heart for ten minutes when we got there. She was shaking. She was in big shock.

“(Tony’s wife) was crying. It was really heartbreaking.”

Mr Stuart is now recovering in Gold Coast University Hospital, with his family saying they were also very grateful for the standard of care provided by Queensland Health and the Queensland Ambulance Service.

Aware that the teens were Benowa State High school students, they reached out to the school to also send them their thanks.

Principal Alison Fahlbusch said the school community was very proud of the trio’s heroic actions.

“We’re so proud and just so impressed that they had such cool heads,” Ms Fahlbusch said.

“Our three kids here are just magnificent.”

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