A PINJARRA skydiving instructor won a Gold Cross at the Royal Life Saving Bravery Awards after saving his student who had a seizure at 9000 feet.
WA Skydiving Academy's Sheldon McFarlane, 41, saved student, Christopher, who had a seizure during a solo training dive in March.
Mr McFarlane said he didn’t understand what was happening at first but knew he had to pull Christopher’s parachute chord.
“In that situation you need to keep a clear head and act,” he said.
Mr McFarlane has been jumping for more than 20 years and said he had never dealt with a situation like it before.
“Christopher was on his fifth jump so he was fairly experienced,” he said.
“The training we receive does prepare you for incidents like this so we hope Christopher’s story doesn’t put anyone off giving it a go.”
After receiving the award Mr McFarlane said he felt “shocked” as everyone in the room at the awards ceremony on Monday morning were extremely worthy of winning.
The awards identify and reward people in the community who have taken extraordinary actions to save another person’s life.
Royal Life Saving Society WA’s chief Peter Leaversuch said each award recipient displayed exceptional courage, empathy and initiative by applying lifesaving skills in emergency situations and sometimes at risk to themselves.
“The bravery and commitment of these individuals in saving lives is an excellent example to all Western Australians and deserves our highest recognition," he said.
“It sends the strongest message possible of the importance of obtaining lifesaving skills.”
