Pride of Australia: Sgt Daniel Willsmore, Rose Spence, Jesse O’Donnell among finalists

IT was like a scene from The Shining. A raged man hacked an axe through the bedroom door, his family cowered in fear on the other side. Sgt Daniel Willsmore saved their lives.

Pride of Australia - Heroism. Sergeant Daniel Willsmore. Picture: Mark Stewart

IT was like a scene from The Shining.

A raged man hacked an axe through the bedroom door, his family cowered in fear on the other side.

Sgt Daniel Willsmore watched from the hallway.

He saw the man pull the axe from the door, shove his head through the splintered wood and scream.

The police officer could have retreated down the hall, across the plaster and water that covered the floor, and waited for backup.

Instead, he stepped towards the axe man and reached for his can of pepper spray.

“It covered his face,” Sgt Willsmore recalled, “And he turned to me and wiped his eyes — it had no affect at all.”

MEET ALL OF VICTORIA’S PRIDE OF AUSTRALIA FINALISTS AND HAVE YOUR VOTE

He hauled the axe above his head and chased Sgt Willsmore down the hallway.

As he brandished his weapon, the Corio officer tried again to subdue him with spray.

“That time it worked, he had the axe in the air but eventually he dropped it on the ground,” he said. “I went to the bedroom and it staggered me to see, there were five people in there hiding.”

The man, who they later found was high on synthetic cannabis, had chased his ex-wife, their two young kids, an aunt and her boyfriend into the bedroom.

The boyfriend barricaded them in with a chest of draws.

“He put the axe through the door and it just missed this bloke’s head,” Sgt Willsmore said.

Despite the danger, the seasoned cop didn’t go for his gun, a “last resort”. And because of that, six people walked uninjured from the scene.

Sgt Willsmore is a finalist for the Heroism Medal in the Pride of Australia awards.

Rose Spence, 13, was diagnosed with a tumor in her spinal cord at 11 but her positive attitude has kept her family and friends afloat during the ordeal. Picture: David Caird.

A BEAD ON THE FUTURE

A STRING of beads means more to Rose Spence than just a pretty necklace.

For the 13-year-old, it is a representation of her ­courage that she can hold in a single hand — 450 beads for 450 procedures in her battle with cancer.

At 11, Rose would wake with back pain through the night, her parents convinced she had pulled a muscle in gymnastics.

But the doctors found something Rose didn’t think possible — a six-centimetre tumour in her spinal cord.

“I assumed cancer was for adults and older people, I didn’t think a child could get it,” she said.

What followed was chemotherapy, biopsies, surgery, steroids, stronger chemo, another surgery. The repeated surgeries caused a weakness in her back, leading to a spinal fusion, rods and screws keeping her neck in place.

But through it all, Rose kept a smile on her face that’s helped her family cope.

“I think humour is the only way to get through it sometimes,” said the teen, nominated for the Pride of Australia Child of Courage medal.

“Dad says I’ve got curves in all the wrong places.”

Jesse O'Donnell has been campaigning for Rekiah's Law - tougher punishment for people with violent pasts who kill - since sister Rekiah was killed by boyfriend Nelson Lai in 2013. Picture: Rob Leeson.

BROTHER’S QUEST FOR JUSTICE

HIS sister’s killer is locked behind bars but the fight isn’t over for Jesse O’Donnell.

It’s too late for Rekiah, killed by a single bullet to the temple fired by her ice addict boyfriend.

But Jesse knows it’s not too late for others, that other families could be spared the pain of losing someone they love to a violent end.

Since his sister died almost two years ago, Jesse has become an unassuming leader for domestic violence change and is now a finalist for a Pride of Australia medal in the Young Leader category.

“I think Rekiah would be extremely happy,” he said.

“Even in life she wanted to help people, so at least through her death she will still be able to help other people.”

In his campaign for Rekiah’s Law, Jesse is pushing for tougher sentencing for those with violent pasts that kill and who use drugs and alcohol as an excuse for their brutality.

He’ll also take the message to teenagers in talks to schools around Melbourne about domestic ­violence.

Nelson Lai was sentenced to nine years’ prison for Rekiah’s death.

He will be eligible for parole in six years and ten months.

“Nine years for taking away potentially 60 or 70 years of someone else’s life is pathetic, really,” Jesse said. “No amount of time will suffice.”

Because no matter how much time he serves, it won’t bring back Rekiah.

But Jesse hopes tougher sentencing may act as a deterrent to others who commit these crimes.

“So that way, they know they can’t get away with it.”

All our state’s finalists.

CAST YOUR VOTE

From Sunday until September 6, you can vote for your favourite Pride of Australia finalist. The winner of the People’s Choice medal will be announced at the Pride of Australia Award Ceremony on Tuesday, September 8.

VOTE FOR YOUR FAVOURITE FINALIST