Austin Appelbee, a 13-year-old from Perth, received the Clarke Gold Medal from the Royal Humane Society of Australasia for his bravery after swimming 4 kilometers through rough ocean conditions to alert emergency services when he and his family were swept out to sea while paddleboarding and kayaking. Eight months earlier, Austin's actions saved his mother Joanne and siblings who had drifted about 14 kilometers offshore and spent ten hours at sea before being rescued. The article highlights the specific incident where Austin left his family behind in the ocean to swim for four hours and run two kilometers to get help.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-06,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Austin Appelbee, a 13-year-old teenager from Perth, was awarded the prestigious Clarke Gold Medal by the Royal Humane Society of Australasia (RHSA) for his heroic actions. In February, Austin swam an extraordinary 4 kilometers in rough ocean conditions to save his family after they were swept out to sea while paddleboarding and kayaking near Quindalup, approximately 250km south of Perth. His mother Joanne was also recognized by the RHSA for her courageous decision to send Austin to shore to seek help. The incident gained international attention due to the immense danger Austin faced and his determination in rescuing his family members.
Written for “Teenager Awarded Bravery Medal” on 2026-10-06,
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In short:
Austin Appelbee and his mother Joanne have received bravery awards in Perth, eight months on from his heroic efforts to get help for his family after they were all swept out to sea.
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they → receive → sea
Austin received the Clarke Gold Medal from the Royal Humane Society of Australasia, and Joanne was recognised for her "courageous decision" to send him to shore.
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Joanne → receive → shore
An off-duty police officer who saved a woman from a burning house was among others honoured by the charity for risking their lives to save another.
A Perth teenager who swam 4 kilometres in rough ocean conditions to save his family after they were swept out to sea has been awarded a prestigious bravery medal.
Austin Appelbee made international headlines in February when he made a superhuman swim to shore to raise the alarm after he and his family were pushed offshore while paddleboarding and kayaking in Quindalup, 250km south of Perth.
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he → save → Perth
The teenager was awarded the Clarke Gold Medal for bravery by the Royal Humane Society of Australasia (RHSA), an Australian charity that has recognised people who risk their lives to save others since 1874.
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who → award → 1874
Austin, who was 13 at the time, was recognised for his "outstanding bravery and enduring commitment to the preservation of life".
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who → recognise → life
Austin left his mother and two siblings behind in the ocean, swimming through dangerous open waters for four hours to reach shore, then ran 2km to reach a phone to call for help.
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Austin → leave → help
"Both his heroic actions to swim and the run to get help were instrumental in alerting emergency services and enabling the successful rescue of his mother, sister and brother,"the RHSA said.
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RHSA → swim → mother
His efforts kickstarted a mission that eventually found and rescued his family, who by that time had drifted about 14km offshore and spent 10 hours at sea.
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who → kickstarte → sea
Siblings deserve award:
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Austin
Austin said he was grateful for the prestigious medal, but said the award should be shared with his siblings.
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award → say → siblings
"If they would actually take in and actually learn what my little siblings went through, they would've been getting this award today, and I would've been sitting down at the back,"he said.
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I → take → back,"he
The Perth schoolboy's medal was one of eight bravery awards presented at WA Government House this morning.
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medal → present → House
Austin's mother, Joanne Appelbee, was awarded a Certificate of Merit for making "the difficult and courageous decision" to send her son towards shore.
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mother → award → shore
"Her judgement, composure and maternal leadership were integral to a successful rescue outcome," the RHSA said.
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RHSA → say → outcome
Medal for house fire rescue
Carl Pilkington, an off-duty WA Police officer and volunteer firefighter, was awarded the Clarke Gold Medal for saving an older woman from a house fire in Marble Bar in the Pilbara in October, 2023.
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Pilkington → award → October
"Without hesitation, Mr Pilkington entered the burning, smoke-filled home,"the RHSA said.
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RHSA → enter → home,"the
Mr Pilkington worked alone for an extended time, saving the woman and fighting the fire, in extreme temperatures and with minimal resources.
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Pilkington → work → resources
"His bravery, composure and determination in circumstances of grave personal danger directly saved a life," the society said.
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society → save → life
Truck driver Robert Johnson was awarded a bronze medal for saving two people after a car crash near Brunswick in 2022.
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Johnson → award → 2022
"Mr Johnson immediately stopped, retrieved a fire extinguisher from his truck, and ran alone toward the burning vehicle to suppress the flames," the society said.
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society → stop → flames
The society also awarded bronze medals to Ashley Tomlinson and David Whitaker, who together restrained and disarmed a person who was stealing jewellery from a Rockingham store in 2023, armed with a knife and a tomahawk.
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who → award → knife
Certificates of Merit were awarded to Mark Coppendale for keeping a truck driver alive after a highway crash until emergency services arrived at the scene, and WA Police Senior Constable Alex Mears, who rescued a woman from the Swan River as she was experiencing a mental health emergency.
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she → award → emergency
The Aporia