Bella Broadley and Elyse Partridge are being credited with saving the lives of two young girls who were trapped in a rip at an unpatrolled beach near Ballina, Australia. The girls, aged 11, were overwhelmed by waves and the current, and it was getting dark. Bella used an esky lid as a flotation device and swam out to one of the girls, handing the lid to the other girl before swimming further out to rescue the second girl. Elyse helped the first girl back to shore, but they hit the rocks, leaving her bruised and with cuts on her hands. The two young women have been awarded bravery medals by the Governor General for their actions.
Photo Credit: Jeremy Bishop