Is Matthew Tindall Plett’s youngest lifesaver yet?
Robberg Vet Clinic’s Dr Brendan Tindall and his wife Kerry could be excused if walking about with pride-swelled chests of late, and ditto for boet Billy, after the family’s youngest member, six-year-old Matthew, was honoured by Plett NSRI last Wednesday.
The Greenwood Grade 1 pupil was at a pool party some weeks ago, you see, when the call for birthday cake had everyone leaving the water at once. Except for one buddy, that is, who suddenly found himself in deep-water trouble.
Says Kerry: “I was trying to get Matthew out of the pool and saw from the corner of my eye another child still playing in the water. When I registered that he was actually in trouble I yelled ‘Matthew, get him!’ so he swam towards the boy and went underneath him, lifting him until I could reach his hand.”
There was no-one else close and if Matthew weren’t around, who knows how dire his panicked buddy’s situation might have become?
Kerry attributes Matthew’s quick action to the fact that he’s a Micro Nipper – the junior gang of Plett Surf Lifesaving Club’s crew of sea-sawy children whose achievements on the beach and in the ocean have graced these pages often before.
When the volunteers of NSRI Station 14 got to know about his speedy rescue action, Matthew and his family were invited for a cruise along with the crew during their Wednesday training session, before being awarded a Certificate of Appreciation by station commander Deon Truter at Plett’s state of the art station on Central Beach.