A family holiday in Broome, Western Australia, turned into a life-threatening emergency for Perth father Sandy Spratt in August 2025.
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holiday → turn → August
The 25-year-old was visiting a relative’s home when he noticed an unsettling silence as his two young daughters played near a gated swimming pool.
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daughters → visit → pool
He rushed over and found his three-year-old daughter, Adaleena, unconscious and floating face-down in the water.
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daughter → rush → water
Spratt pulled her out and immediately began cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), helping restore her consciousness before paramedics arrived.
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paramedics → pull → consciousness
After Adaleena made a full recovery, Spratt received recognition at the 2026 Royal Life Saving WA Bravery Awards, using the experience to encourage others to learn first aid.
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Spratt → make → aid
Sandy Spratt heard an alarming silence near the swimming pool
Spratt was visiting a family member’s home in Broome in August 2025, during a holiday roughly 2,080 kilometres north of Perth.
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Spratt → hear → Perth
His two young daughters were playing near a gated backyard swimming pool while he caught up with relatives.
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he → play → relatives
The situation appeared ordinary until he noticed that the girls’ laughter had suddenly stopped.
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laughter → appear → ?
Concerned, he ran towards the pool and discovered Adaleena, his three-year-old daughter, unconscious and floating face-down in the water.
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Adaleena → concern → water
Spratt immediately pulled her from the pool.
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Spratt → pull → pool
The sudden change from a family gathering to a medical emergency left little time for hesitation, and his response would prove critical to his daughter’s survival.
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response → leave → survival
The incident later became the reason for his recognition at Western Australia’s Royal Life Saving Bravery Awards.
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incident → become → Awards
He performed CPR before paramedics arrived
After pulling Adaleena from the water, Spratt immediately began cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR.
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Spratt → perform → resuscitation
According to the ABC News report by Natasha Clark, his daughter regained consciousness before paramedics arrived.
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paramedics → accord → consciousness
Spratt credited his ability to respond instinctively to first aid training he had completed through a previous job.
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he → credit → job
Reflecting on the emergency, he explained that he already knew what to do without having to think about it.
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he → reflect → it
Adaleena was taken to Broome Hospital, where she spent time recovering.
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she → take → time
She subsequently made a full recovery, turning what could have been a devastating family tragedy into a story about the importance of recognising an emergency and acting quickly.
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what → make → emergency
Spratt later said the experience reinforced his belief that first aid knowledge could make a difference when someone’s life was at risk.
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life → say → risk
Royal Life Saving WA recognised his quick thinking
Spratt received a Royal Life Saving WA Bravery Award on 9 October 2026, joining dozens of other West Australians recognised for acts of bravery.
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Spratt → recognise → bravery
He was one of 84 people honoured at the 2026 awards.
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He → honour → awards
Royal Life Saving WA acknowledged that his ability to recognise the emergency and immediately begin CPR provided Adaleena with essential lifesaving care.
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ability → acknowledge → care
The organisation also highlighted the importance of being prepared for emergencies involving children around water.
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organisation → highlight → water
Chief executive Peter Leaversuch said the people recognised through the awards had demonstrated bravery and quick thinking.
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people → say → bravery
He emphasised that lifesaving skills were not exclusive to professional lifeguards or emergency responders.
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skills → emphasise → lifeguards
Spratt’s recognition therefore reflected not only his actions as a father, but also the practical value of knowing how to respond when an emergency develops unexpectedly.
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emergency → reflect → father
Unfamiliar swimming pools can pose risks during holidays
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pools → pose → holidays
Royal Life Saving WA used the incident to highlight the dangers children can face around swimming pools in unfamiliar surroundings.
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children → use → surroundings
During holidays, families may spend time at relatives’ homes or in accommodation with pools that children do not regularly encounter.
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children → spend → that
The organisation warned that unfamiliar aquatic environments can create unexpected risks, making close supervision particularly important.
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supervision → warn → risks
Even when a pool is gated, adults should remain attentive to children around water and be prepared to respond if something goes wrong.
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something → gate → water
Spratt’s experience illustrates how quickly a seemingly routine family visit can change.
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visit → illustrate → ?
The sudden silence that alerted him to the emergency was followed by an immediate rescue and CPR, with his earlier training helping him act without hesitation.
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him → alert → hesitation
The case also reinforces the value of learning first aid before an emergency occurs, rather than waiting until someone needs help.
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someone → reinforce → help
The father wants others to learn lifesaving skills
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others → want → skills
For Spratt, the award offered an opportunity to share a message beyond his own family’s experience.
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award → offer → experience
He has encouraged people to complete first aid courses and learn CPR, crediting the training he received through a former job with helping him save Adaleena’s life.
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him → encourage → life
“Doing a first aid course really does save lives and is worth every bit,” he said, according to the ABC report.
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he → do → report
His message echoes that of Royal Life Saving WA, which hopes stories recognised through the awards will encourage more people to acquire lifesaving skills.
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stories → echo → skills
Although no one wants to face an emergency involving a loved one, knowing how to respond can be crucial while professional help is on its way.
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help → want → way
…and 1 more, not listed.
The Aporia
