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Five members of the City of Joondalup’s Craigie Leisure Centre team have been awarded Bravery Awards by Royal Life Saving - WA for saving the life of a patron.

The incident happened in March this year when a man collapsed at the Centre due to a medical incident and hit his head, suffering a severe laceration.

Lifeguard Ryan Humphries and Pool Supervisor Robbie McNeill were quickly on the scene, with McNeill immediately calling for help before commencing CPR. They were joined by their lifeguard colleagues Caitlin Anthony, Maddison Earnshaw and Georgia Radley-Kohrs who cleared the area and brought in emergency equipment.

Three patrons - Halima Jeffersen, Serena MacPherson and Christina Gardiner (all healthcare workers) - also assisted.

Working alongside the lifeguards, they provided CPR and maintained the airway using a bag valve mask, rotating with the lifeguard team who also administered the defibrillator.

Once an ambulance arrived, the team continued to perform CPR on the patient, while paramedics administered adrenaline, placed lines and obtained vital information.

The patient regained consciousness before being taken to hospital for further treatment.

As a result, Royal Life Saving - WA presented Robbie McNeill, Maddison Earnshaw and Georgia Radley-Kohrs Gold Stars awards (professional category), while Ryan Humphries and Caitlin Anthony received Bravery Commendations (professional category).

The awards presentation took place at the State Reception Centre on Friday 8th October, with a proud City of Joondalup Chief Executive, James Pearson among those in attendance.

Praising the efforts of the Craigie Leisure Centre team whose teamwork and professionalism had ultimately saved the life of a patron, Pearson stated “it’s reassuring to know that should something go wrong at Craigie Leisure Centre, the more than 1.5million visitors each year are in the hands of highly-trained professionals like Ryan, Robbie, Caitlin, Maddison and Georgia.

“In trying circumstances, their training kicked in and they kept cool heads in a crisis to give the patient the best possible chance of survival.

“I also want to thank our patrons who helped save a life. It is rewarding to know that people in our community respond so well when others are in need.”

Halima Jeffersen, Serena MacPherson and Christina Gardiner also received gold medallions in the community category for their efforts.

Image (from left): James Pearson (City of Joondalup Chief Executive), Halima Jeffersen, Serena MacPherson, Ryan Humphries (Craigie Leisure Centre lifeguard), Stuart (who asked that his surname not be printed), Madison Earnshaw (Craigie Leisure Centre lifeguard), Robbie McNeill (Craigie Leisure Centre pool supervisor), Georgia Radley-Kohrs (Craigie Leisure Centre lifeguard) and Christina Gardiner. Bravery award recipient Caitlin Anthony is not in the picture.

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