Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley AC KC, Governor of New South Wales, presided over a ceremony recognising the exceptional bravery of nearly 50 people at a special Royal Humane Society of NSW Bravery Awards investiture at the new Eugowra Multi-Purpose Centre on Friday 21 March.
After two significant storm cells swept across the region late on 13 November 2022, the Mandagery floodplain and valley upstream from Eugowra experienced significant flooding in the early hours of the following day. While early morning alerts were issued by authorities to warn residents downstream, a literal ‘wall of water’ surged down the valley and through the already engorged Mandagery Creek into the township of Eugowra a little after 9am.
In the town of just over 800, everyday people, many with no emergency response training or experience, found themselves assuming the role of ‘spontaneous rescuer’. Similarly, local fulltime and volunteer emergency services personnel, supported by members of the public, swung into response mode, undertaking actions that led to the saving of many lives, including rescues performed in the most harrowing and dangerous of conditions.
“These are people who literally, in a space of minutes, went from living their normal daily lives to saving lives,” said Royal Humane Society of NSW president Colonel Alexander Dangar (Ret.). “Many did so without hesitation. Some performing feats that epitomise a level of selflessness and sense of ‘mateship’ synonymous with country people across Australia.”