ACT rescuers receive national award after saving hiker from Kambah Pool

It was September 2022, and the police officer of three decades had just saved a young hiker who was barely holding onto a log in a gushing current.

"It's one of those moments when you start to actually realise that what we do is very dangerous," Mr Dwyer said.

"You go, that was as close as I've come to being seriously injured or losing my life."

A rescue helicopter refused to winch the man out of the pool as it would be too unsafe to put someone in the water to get him.

The water was fast, high, and peppered with jagged rocks and debris from fallen trees.

This didn't stop Mr Dwyer and two colleagues from getting in.

By the time they got to the hiker, hypothermia was settling in and the man was barely coherent, the police officer said.

"I don't think he was gonna last too much longer being able to hold on, because he was starting to shiver [and] shake," he said.

"I'm reasonably comfortable that he could not have got himself out of that situation without some external help, and I think he would have died if emergency services hadn't been there."

The rapids were so fast that at one point the raft holding three rescuers and the man hit a rock and flipped upside down.

"You start to think, this could go very bad, both for him and for us," Mr Dwyer said.

The rescuers grabbed the hiker and the boat, and stabilised themselves by holding on to a tree.

An emergency services worker swam to the other side of the pool, set up a roping system and it was attached to the raft.

The man was put in the raft and ferried across, and the man was lifted by helicopter.

"After he left on the helicopter, the three of us had some choice words to each other about what had occurred. And it was that moment that we went that was very close to going very badly. Not just for him, but for us as well," Mr Dwyer said.

There was another 500 metre walk with equipment for the soaked rescuers, before they found a spot to cross back over the river.

The mission has won the ACT rescuers commendations at the 2023 National Search and Rescue awards, in recognition of outstanding contribution to search and rescue within the Australian region.

While three officers were in the raft, Mr Dwyer estimated around 50 or 60 people from ACT police, the TOLL rescue helicopter, the ACT fire brigade and ambulance were also involved in the rescue.

The hiker, believed to be in his late 20s or early 30s, had decided to swim across Kambah Pool, which at the time was overflowing and running rapidly.

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Rather than swim directly across, the man travelled 500 metres before hitting a log. He had a mobile phone in a Ziploc bag, which he used to call emergency services.

Mr Dwyer said the award was "humbling".

"[We are] very pleased that we've been recognised," he said.

"A lot of people think, 'oh, you're just doing your job', but just doing your job was a potentially life threatening situation to him and to us. To have it recognised nationally was a great kudos to the team."

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