Five lifesaving South Aussie heroes of 2024 including Sean Williams who pulled woman from Tailem Bend house fire
From a teen who pulled a woman from a house fire to a five year old boy who saved his dad’s life, these South Australians stepped up in terrifying moments of need.
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A teenager drags a woman from a potentially fatal house fire.
A five-year-old boy calmly calls triple-0 to save his father’s life.
A surf lifesaver takes a break from a peaceful swim to help guide four terrified young women to safety.
A taxi driver without any first aid training saves a passenger in the midst of a severe asthma attack.
A surfer who stripped off to save a drowning kangaroo at the beach and went viral in the process.
These are just some of the amazing stories of heroism emanating from 2024.
After a year in which spiralling cost-of-living, global political unrest and local political uncertainty have stolen the headlines, The Advertiser today brings you some uplifting tales to enjoy this festive season.
The word hero is sometimes thrown around loosely, but in telling these stories, we recognise the bravery, selflessness and determination of South Australians who can genuinely fit that title.
Teen pulls woman from burning building
Teenager Sean Williams raced towards the raging house fire with just one thought on his mind.
He wanted to rescue the woman he had seen collapse in the front doorway and appeared in danger of either being engulfed in flames or being crushed by falling walls and ceilings.
And so while other bystanders stood motionless taking video of the Tailem Bend fire back in February, Sean, just 16 at the time, risked his life to race towards the flames and thick black smoke.
There was no thought of protecting his own safety after seeing resident Marilyn Hales unconscious just inside the front door.
“It was just like, ‘I’ve got to get her out of there before it blows’,” Sean recalls.
“Natural instincts kicked in. It was like, ‘she needs help, I’ve got to do it because there’s not many people around her that can’.”
He tried to lift Marilyn over his shoulder but couldn’t, so put one hand under her back and the other under her legs to carry her out onto the road, away from danger.
While others then performed CPR, Sean raced back towards the house, found a hose and attempted to quell the blaze before it spread to neighbouring properties.
Now 17, Sean says the incident, which earned him a state bravery award, has sparked an interest in firefighting and he’s thinking of volunteering with the Country Fire Service when he turns 18.
He also has dreams of becoming a carpenter, and hopes he will one day boast enough experience skills to rebuild on the site of the now decrepit home, which remains a blackened ruin more than 10 months since the blaze.
He’s about to start year 11 at Murray Bridge High and admits to copping a fair amount of ribbing from his friends for his new celebrity status after featuring on various news services since the incident.
Sean had spent the day of the fire home from school after cutting his foot on a piece of glass in the River Murray a day or so beforehand and was driving with his nanna to take a family dog to a dogsitter when they saw black smoke about 6pm on February 22.
Footage from the incident shows him approaching the house as strong winds fuelled the flames and smoke.
“I was like, Nan, pull over and call triple-0. And as she did, we saw Maz drop right at the front door and pass out.
“I carried her to the road and then I went around the back, grabbed the hose, and tried to wet as much as possible, especially on the gas cans so it wouldn’t blow up.”
Sean has learning difficulties and lives with Marfan Syndrome – an inherited disorder that can cause, among other things, skeletal, eye and back problems.
He moved with his parents and five younger siblings, the youngest is now seven, from Melbourne to Tailem Bend only 12 months or so before the blaze. His eldest brother, now 20, remains in Victoria.
Mother Michelle, 37, says she wasn’t surprised when she learned about Sean’s heroic rescue efforts.
“With Sean, nothing would surprise me,” she says as we survey what remains of the destroyed house.
“And I honestly think that he would do it again. It’s not out of his character. For a kid in his generation, I suppose he’d give you the shirt off his back. It’s definitely right up his personality.”
She attributes his caring personality with his modest upbringing in a family which has had to mind every dollar.
“Because we’re always been lower income, and we’ve always instilled in the kids that kindness is basically the only free thing that we can give,” she says.
“It’s the only thing that we can give consistently that doesn’t cost anything, and it’s really a necessity, especially these days.
“And I think that’s just where Sean has kind of taken that on board. We expect our kids to treat anyone with the utmost respect.
“It’s kind of always been kindness is something we have never been unable to give. We can’t give things of great monetary value but yeah, we can give that.”
Marilyn Hales was 42 at the time of the fire but has since moved away from Tailem Bend. Her mother Gay remains in awe of what Sean did back in February.
“Sean did the unthinkable that day, putting himself in danger to save a stranger,” she says. “He will always be my hero.”
Brave child saves dad with heroic triple-0 call
At age 5 Aiden is a hero to his parents Nicole and Jason — and to SA Ambulance Service officers inspired by his mature courage under incredible pressure.
On July 27 this year, Aiden found his father, Jason, unresponsive and bleeding on the floor of their West Lakes home.
With his mother interstate, Aiden was alone with no adults to turn to.
However, the youngster acted swiftly, calling triple-0, and providing critical information which may have saved his father’s life.
Aidan remained composed throughout the frightening situation, having the presence of mind to call back several times when the phone cut out.
Alecia Williams, the Emergency Medical Dispatch Support Officer, was the initial triple-0 call-taker, and Extended Care Paramedic Mel Alexander joined the call and provided support while waiting for an ambulance to arrive.
Jason was a Priority 1 patient and received a response within the target time of 8 minutes.
Ms Williams said the call she received that morning is one she will never forget.
“When Aiden, at just five years old, called triple-0, I could hear the fear in his voice, but I also heard something extraordinary – his determination to help his dad,” she said.
“Despite the immense pressure of the situation, Aiden was calm, clear, and collected. He knew exactly what to do and provided us with all the vital information we needed to get an ambulance to his dad as quickly as possible.
“It’s not every day you witness such bravery. The maturity Aiden displayed in such a terrifying moment was nothing short of remarkable.
“There is no doubt that his quick thinking was likely lifesaving.
“This job is challenging, but moments like these remind me of why we do our job. To know that I played a small part in helping Aidan in his time of need, and in ensuring that help reached his father, is something that will stay with me forever.
“In every sense of the word, Aidan is a hero.”
Ms Alexander agrees, saying she is proud of Aiden for remaining so calm.
“He was so focused on helping his dad that he pushed through all the fear of the situation,” she recalls.
“He followed instructions and gave us such valuable information, we were able to co-ordinate the right response for Jason.
“Many adults are not as composed as Aiden was under that kind of pressure. His phone cut out several times, but he promptly called back to keep us updated.
“I was so relieved for him when I heard the crew arrive in the background of the call. It must have felt like an eternity for Aiden, but he was so incredibly brave and kept his wits about him.”
Aiden’s mother Nicole said it was hard to put into words how proud she is of her son.
“As a mother, you never want your child to face something so terrifying and traumatic, especially at such a young age,” she said.
“What Aiden did that day wasn’t just quick thinking, it was an act of immense courage.
“We truly believe that because of him, it is very possible that Jason is still here with us today. “It could have turned out so differently, and I will forever be grateful for the bravery he showed when Jason needed it the most.
“The trauma from that day is something we’re still working through as a family, so seeing Aiden recognised for his heroism and having the chance to meet the people who helped us in that moment means the world to us.”
Surf life saver pulls four young women from rip
What Jodi Kappler thought was the perfect day to enjoy the Southport waters turned into
an incredible, single-handed rescue of four young women caught in a powerful rip and pulled beyond the break zone.
On October 21, the Port Noarlunga Surf Life Saving Club member was conducting “some peaceful” water training by herself.
“I regularly go out surf ski training – quite often I train with a group from the lifesaving club – but this time I was out by myself, and I had my little earphones on with music in my ears, just enjoying the peaceful place with the dolphins,” Ms Kappler said.
“I remember that day, at that point, all I could think about was just how perfect the day was, the weather, the water, and just overall feeling. Just beautiful.”
But something pricked Ms Kappler’s ears.
Through the sound of the crashing waves and the music beating through her earphones, she heard obvious sounds of distress and cries.
“I remember I heard the girls before I saw them,” she said.
“It was by pure chance, I was coming into shore and that was when I heard the screaming going on … and you just knew that it wasn’t the laughing screaming, it was hysterical, pure panic screams coming not from one person but four.”
Ms Kappler immediately started paddling towards the cries coming from the Onkaparinga River mouth.
When she saw the four women, aged 17 to 20, her “heart dropped for a moment” before she was able to regain composure, she admits.
After assessing the situation, Ms Kappler calmed the women.
She noticed one of the four was holding onto a boogie board, which she instructed two of the women to share, telling them to swim laterally to escape the rip and let the waves bring them in.
To help the remaining two who “were in a state of panic”, Ms Kappler gave up her own board to use as a flotation raft while they “burped out” the water they swallowed.
At that time, another surfer spotted them, he took on one of the women onto his board and together they slowly brought them in.
On shore, Ms Kappler checked on their welfare, as well as took the time to explain what went wrong and how to get out of similar circumstances themselves in the future.
Looking back at the day, she said still felt “shock” over the event and that “saving those girls – it wasn’t what I was anticipating for my day”.
A Surf Life Saving SA club spokeswoman said Ms Kappler’s “courage and commitment” was “an inspiration to all”.
“Her rapid, skilled response transformed a potentially tragic incident into a story of bravery and effective rescue,” the spokeswoman said.
“We commend Jodi for her exemplary actions, which underscore the critical role our volunteer lifesavers play in keeping our coastal community safe.”
Surfer rescues drowning kangaroo and goes viral
Harley Brook quietly avoided school pick-up for a few days at the end of October.
Not one to court attention, the unassuming single father-of-two had unintentionally become an internet sensation after leaping into action to save a kangaroo from drowning at Port Noarlunga beach on October 25.
Images of the daring rescue, in which the wildlife enthusiast stripped down to his underwear and jumped into the water to help the struggling skippy, were posted on a community Facebook by a witness.
And the photographs quickly gained attention from people hailing Mr Brook a hero – as a well a few comments from admirers.
“There’s going to be a whole bunch of sunbathing ladies at the beach tomorrow morning,” one cheeky commenter said.
Another person write: “Two good looking roos,” while another labelled Mr Brook a “legend with a six pack”.
Mr Brook, who is a regular at the beach, doesn’t have a Facebook page so he was unaware of the fuss – until friends and family told him about the furore surrounding the rescue.
“It’s all just been a big laugh, but in a good way,” he said.
“My daughter told everyone at school – I didn’t do school pick-ups for a while.
“I’ve also had a lot of people saying ‘you’re the kangaroo guy’ (when down at the beach).”
While Mr Brook said the attention had been “pretty full on,” he described the rescue as just another day.
“It was easy enough,” he said.
“It was literally starting to sink and I just cradled it up with one hand under its belly to get it up to the surface.”
The gardener and fisherman, who has a hobby farm, said he had always instilled in his daughter Indigo, 8, and his son Byron, 11, the importance of caring for the environment and wildlife.
“Surfing, fishing and wildlife – that’s us,” he said.
“I’m always relocating Blue Tongues and snakes out of people’s gardens.
“To be honest, I do stuff like that all the time.”
Hero Uber driver saved passenger from brain damage
Uber driver Hamid Gulzar never imagined he would save a woman’s life after she suffered a severe asthma attack in the back seat of his car.
For Mr Gulzar, it was the usual stream of passengers needing to get from point A to point B – that was until Fanny Jacobson requested a drive from Stepney to Magill in April.
The experienced Uber driver said he knew something was “wrong” and “unusual” with his passenger by the way she got in and started acting.
“As soon as she got into the back of the car, I could tell something was wrong,” he said.
“She wasn’t breathing properly – she was gasping and panting – and she was holding onto the headrest in front of her for support. She couldn’t even put on her seatbelt.”
Mr Gulzar cautiously started driving down the road but before he could travel more than 100m Ms Jacobson started pleading with him to pull over, open the doors and call the ambulance.
“I was very nervous,” the 35-year-old said.
“I’m not a medical professional at all, I never did medical school, I don’t even know how to do CPR.
“But I tried to keep calm and act as if this was (my) grandma and look after her as best as I can.”
Mr Gulzar worked through his fright and tried to ease his 63-year-old passenger breathing problems by opening all the vehicle doors, as well as the car’s boot, “just in case”.
He made the triple-0 call and within two minutes an ambulance arrived.
But by then Ms Jacobson stopped breathing.
“It was all hands on deck,” he said.
“Police came, ambulance came, fire brigade came, and I was helping them move Fanny or hold their equipment.
“I also gave them all a statement about what was going on before she had her asthma attack and stay in touch with the police in case anything happened.”
They were able to restore Ms Jacobson’s breath but they were on scene for another 30 minutes before emergency services transported her to the Royal Adelaide Hospital.
Ms Jacobson was admitted to the ICU and put on a ventilator for 10 days as there was concern she would suffer permanent brain damage from the asthma attack.
Fortunately, she avoided the worst outcome but her path to recovery was a long one.
After getting off the ventilator, Ms Jacobson lost muscle tone and couldn’t stand without support. She also had pneumonia and a bowel infection.
The pair reunited with the help of The Advertiser in May with the Magill woman wanting to thank and reward her Uber saviour in person.
“I just feel this huge sense of obligation and thankfulness and humbleness towards Hamid because without him I might have been much worse off,” Ms Jacobson said.
“He saved my life and saved me from brain damage.”
Since then Ms Jacobson made leaps and bounds; she’s shaken off her long-term smoking habit and joined a support group for recovering ICU patients to deal with the lasting trauma consequences following that almost deadly attack.
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