Newspaper Article 2012 – Bay hero wins Aussie medal

Bay hero wins Aussie medal

By Morgan Tait
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A Hawke’s Bay man who saved a fisherman’s life in an heroic rescue has been awarded Australia’s highest recognition for courage: The Bravery Medal.

Napier expat Bryon Marshall, 33, said his days as a member of Westshore Surf Life Saving Club and dive training at Onekawa gave him the skills he needed to save Mike Bicknell from underneath a capsized boat in Victoria’s Port Phillip Bay nearly two years ago.

Speaking from Bali, Mr Marshall told Hawke’s Bay Today how he swam to the overturned boat in large swells, finding one missing crewman tangled in fishing net and another trapped in an air bubble under the hull.

“I was was working for a company back in Melbourne at the time and one of our boats was returning from a dive and happened to see, on the way back, another boat that had capsized,” he said.

“Myself and my boss at the time jumped in one of our other boats and headed out there. Ten of the crew had been picked up but two were missing.

“I kind of figured that the two people were still near the boat, so I swam across and upon getting there found one of the victims, who was deceased, and he was halfway in and halfway out of the boat, so I crawled into the boat and could hear the second guy, so I talked the guy out and when he got close enough, I grabbed his hand and was able to pull him out and get him to safety.”

He hoped his recognition for December 2010 rescue in Victoria’s Port Phillip Bay would inspire others to do the same.

“It wasn’t expected that’s for sure. It wasn’t the reason I did it but it’s definitely an honour and one I really appreciate. Just hopefully it inspires a few other people to do the same thing,” Mr Marshall said.

He was an active member of the Westshore Surf Life Saving club as a teenager and young adult.

“There’s a lot of people through my life that I think gave me the skills to do it.

“Westshore Surf Life Saving, their training really taught me a lot and without it I don’t think I would have the confidence.”

He also completed his first dive training and instructors course with Adventure Dive in Onekawa.

The Napier Boys’ High School old boy is teaching free diving in Bali, and will move to Sydney’s Coogee Beach in October to manage a dive school.

His parents, brother and two nieces still live in the region, and Mr Marshall will visit at Christmas.

Photo caption – TRIBUTE UNEXPECTED: Bryon Marshall saved a man’s life after a boating accident in Melbourne.