A loving uncle who saved his 12-year-old niece’s life in the Dreamworld raft disaster, only to lose his own, has been posthumously awarded a medal for bravery.
Canberra man Luke Dorsett was among 89 people recognized in Tuesday’s Australian Decorations for Bravery, announced by Governor-General David Hurley.
“Mr. Dorsett immediately placed his arm over his niece to prevent her from falling off the raft,” the bravery quote read.
“Sadly, however, Mr Dorsett fell from the raft and tragically died at the scene after becoming trapped on the journey.”
It was October 25, 2016 when four people died when two rafts collided on the Thunder River Rapids Ride in the popular Gold Coast park.
Dorsett wasn’t the only hero.
Luke Dorsett posthumously awarded a medal for bravery, seven years after his death on Dreamworld
Danny Haber was waiting in line for a fun ride at the park when he found himself at the center of the deadly Dreamworld crash.
A loud noise followed by children screaming caused the crowd to flee, but as others fled, Mr Haber and two other men approached danger.
Years later, Mr Haber, now 41, and fellow spectators Thomas William Hanson and Joedy Charles Vincent, received a group commendation for bravery for their conduct.
Haber also receives an individual commendation for his brave conduct.
He attributes his response to a previous 21-year naval career. “We are trained to run towards noise rather than away from it,” he told AAP.
What he saw before him was a catastrophic spectacle, with bodies in the water and children screaming.
“We thought we were entering the safest attraction at one of the safest theme parks in the world and it turned out to be the scariest day of our lives,” Haber said.
The man, then 34 years old, took two children to safety and, together with other bystanders, dragged a woman out of the water and provided first aid to her.
‘If it was my family that was involved, I would want someone to help me. “It was just a terrible day and I got involved because it was the right thing to do.”
Four people died when two rafts collided on the Thunder River Rapids Ride at the popular Gold Coast theme park in October 2016.
Other mentions of group bravery include 32 emergency service personnel who responded to the Lindt Cafe siege in Sydney in December 2014, which left two civilians and one terrorist dead.
The group is made up of 28 unidentified specialist police officers and four paramedics: Oliver Alemán, Oliver Ellis, Christopher Ennis and Daniel Trincado.
Also receiving a Medal of Bravery are two civilian bystanders who rushed to help when a terrorist detonated gas cylinders and stabbed downtown Melbourne on November 9, 2018.
Chief King Reid-Payne attempted to distract the knife-wielding attacker until police arrived, and then assisted officers in restraining the offender and assisted the victims who had been stabbed.
Lei Zhang was in a nearby restaurant when the violence broke out and fought his instinct to flee, instead helping a man, Sisto Malaspina, a 74-year-old cafe owner, who had been stabbed.
Ms. Zhang, along with others, ran to the injured man to provide first aid, even though the offender attacked the police approximately 20 meters away.
“Despite their efforts, the injured man unfortunately died at the scene,” the citation reads.
Several visitors caught up in the Dreamworld disaster were among the 89 people recognized at Tuesday’s Australian Bravery Decorations.
On Queensland’s K’gari, once known as Fraser Island, William James Farley rushed to the aid of his six-year-old cousin when she was attacked by a dingo in April 2023, causing the dog to release its jaws from the dog’s head. the girl and run away.
“The dingo lunged at the girl, grabbed the back of her neck with its mouth, pushed her under the water and tried to drag her away,” the bravery citation reads.
“Despite the danger, Mr. Farley immediately ran toward the animal, screaming and fighting it until the animal let go of his cousin.”
The Governor General paid tribute to all recipients.
“In a moment of danger, each of the people we recognize today decided to come to the aid of another person: some, someone they knew, others, a complete stranger,” he said.
‘Often their actions came at a cost to themselves. Tragically, two recipients lost their lives.’