THE incredible rescue of an elderly man found floating face down in the water at Mornington has highlighted the need for more people to be trained in rescue and resuscitation techniques.
The drama began around 6pm on Friday 10 March, when 12-year-old Harry Pascoe noticed a body in the water near the boat ramp at Schnapper Point.
After raising the alarm, another bystander and mother-of-four Leah Wernert jumped into the water fully clothed to pull the unconscious man out of the water onto the slip ramp.
Two other bystanders, Harry’s mum Maryann, a personal trainer, and beach walker Chris Monnier, worked in tandem with the others to continue CPR for at least five minutes, reviving the man to consciousness.
By that time paramedics from Ambulance Victoria had arrived and administered emergency assistance before taking the man – thought to be in his 70s or 80s – to hospital, where he was reportedly held for the week and treated for fluid inhalation and exhaustion.
Maryann Pascoe said the experience was a wakeup call for people to know cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) skills.
“This poor man was literally dead, he had no pulse, no signs of life…if we had not been able to resuscitate him, it would have been a very sad end,” she said.
It is believed the man had been visiting the area with his wife, but had stopped briefly to fill up a water container when he possibly slipped and hit his head, before falling into the water.
While one of the first responders, Wernert, said she had not trained in CPR, she had “seen it on TV” and knew the basics.
Being a personal trainer, Pascoe was the only one who had up-to-date certification, but said the experience was a good reminder of the importance of first aid training.
Monnier, whose First Aid certificate was out of date, said the experience was a good reminder of the need to update first aid qualifications.
All from Mornington, the four said they vaguely knew each other from their regular beach walks and early-morning swims, but never expected to be connected in such a tragic but uplifting way.
Monnier said that as a result of their experience, the four had since forged a friendship that would last, and were grateful they were able to step in and react appropriately in the man’s moment of need.
Coincidentally, a later bystander, Chisholm first aid training manager Susie Archbold – who runs daily beach swims for mental health – said she was so impressed with the group’s actions she has offered them free first aid training at Chisholm Institute in Frankston in a bid to spread the word of the importance of knowing first aid.
Archbold said the events of 10 March highlighted the importance of first aid skills.
First published in the Mornington News – 21 March 2023
