12-Year-Old Girls Honored for Bravery at Awards Ceremony

Two 12-year-old girls have been recognized for their bravery at the Guernsey Ambulance and Rescue end-of-year awards ceremony. Juliette and Lillia were instrumental in rescuing a woman who was drowning at Havelet Bay during the summer. Juliette stated they had not anticipated receiving the awards and described the experience as “cool.” The awards event also included special acknowledgment for other members of the public and a volunteer community first responder, with presentations made by the Lieutenant-Governor, Lt Gen Richard Cripwell. Sue Norrey, the woman rescued by the girls, was unconscious when the pair dived in and kept her “above water” until others arrived to assist. Recalling the incident, Juliette said: “We just held her head up and her body up until other people would come in, but there were a lot of waves that were taking over her body.” She added that “Two other women and a man were coming in the water to help bring her back to shore before the first aid response took over.” Juliette expressed relief, stating, “It was a relief that she was OK and she was in a better position than before.” When asked about her feelings regarding the award, she responded: “It was definitely not what I was expecting, but it is really cool.” Ms. Norrey conveyed her “forever grateful” feelings to the two girls, as well as to the other individuals who participated in the rescue. She revealed that she was placed in an induced coma following the incident because her lungs were “pretty saturated with water.” Ms. Norrey confirmed that she has since made a “full recovery” and remains in contact with Juliette and Lillia, commending their “such institution, capability and gumption.” In addition to Juliette and Lillia, Amie Perree, a volunteer for Community First Responders (CFR), also received an award for performing CPR on a tourist in Sark on 2 September. Ms. Perree recounted being at home with her daughter when her husband rushed in to alert her about a lady who had collapsed. She stated: “I just newly-qualified as a CFR in Sark, so I went down to have a look. The lady’s niece had just started CPR. “I jumped in and did exactly what I had been trained to do a few months before.” She continued: “We performed CPR for 20 minutes until another colleague arrived with a defibrillator. She got shocked and started coming back round. “I feel extremely lucky to have the people who were around. It is amazing to see she has made a full recovery.” Ms. Perree expressed that she was “extremely proud” to be recognized with the award and to accept it on behalf of the 10 CFR volunteers on Sark. She emphasized, “We are all volunteers, and everyone works extremely hard to provide a service for the island.”