The Lendrum brothers didn’t wear a cape or a badge, but they became superheroes just by doing the ‘right thing’ and saving two children from drowning. This year, they were commended by the Royal Life Saving NSW for their actions.
A fun, family barbeque and a lovely afternoon enjoying the waters of Narrabeen Lagoon. A day that could have ended in tragedy in a matter of seconds, if not for the lifesaving actions of three brothers.
Tim, Peter, and Michael Lendrum were recognised in February by Royal Life Saving NSW’s Commendation Awards for their selfless actions in preventing ‘two drowning fatalities in Narrabeen’ by leading the search and rescue for two children.
On Sunday 2 December 2018, the Lendrum siblings were spending a family afternoon by Narrabeen Lagoon at Bilarong Reserve. Sudden calls for help made the brothers realise something was wrong, and they immediately noticed a child struggling in the water nearby.
“We were just on a family picnic, relaxing in the sun near the water, when we noticed a boy struggling. Michael ran in and grabbed the boy and brought him to shore, and we thought that was the end of it. But then, there was a relative who kept running to the water and yelling things,” Tim says.
“We originally thought he might have lost his goggles or a boogie-board. And then the relative said the word ‘pink’ and people started to realise that a girl was missing. So, one of our relatives yelled out ‘Everyone, get in the water!’. All the adults ran into the water, to search for the girl.”
It was Peter who found the 7-year-old girl at the bottom of the lagoon about 20-metres from shore.
“I looked in deeper water and just felt around with my feet and eventually found the girl. I didn’t think much, I just wanted to get back to shore as quickly as possible and let everyone know that we found her, that it was an urgent situation, and that CPR needed to be started as soon as possible,” Peter explains.
“I performed a few breaths on the way into shore and held her upside down to try and get as much water out as possible. And then I passed her over to Tim onshore to continue the CPR.”
Tim and another man, Mathew Savage, performed CPR on the girl while Michael Lendrum contacted Triple Zero for ambulance assistance. The ambulance arrived shortly after and took care of both children, who made full recoveries thanks to the quick actions of their saviours.
Despite their actions, the Lendrum brothers don’t see themselves as heroes, and say they ‘just did what it needed to be done’.
“Twenty plus people were jumping in the water. There was no hesitation from anyone. It was just what you do because a child is missing,” Peter remarks.
And for the Lendrum family, the most valuable lesson from that day was to be more vigilant around the water.
“People should do a CPR or First Aid course or a combination. That’s just a general life skill that everyone should have,” Tim says.
“And if you’re in the water with 20 or 30 people, don’t assume that your kid is safe because there are lots of people around. This girl disappeared in front of 20 adults. So, it is important to teach kids to swim and always keep an eye on them in the water.”
Each year the NSW branch of the Royal Life Saving Society presents Commendation Awards to people who have displayed outstanding initiative, expertise, and empathy towards their fellow human beings by applying lifesaving skills in emergency situations.