Joanne Appelbee has described asking her 13-year-old son Austin to swim for four hours through dangerous waters to raise the alarm after her family was swept out to sea off Western Australia as 'one of the hardest decisions' she has ever made. The family were on holiday in Quindalup, 200km south of Perth, when strong winds pushed their inflatable paddleboards and kayak offshore from Geographe Bay on Friday afternoon.
Speaking to the BBC, Joanne explained that what began as 'a bit of fun' in shallow water quickly turned serious when the children drifted too far. 'The wind picked up and it went from there,' she said. 'We lost oars, and we drifted out further ... It kind of all went wrong very, very quickly.' Austin was sent to swim for shore while Joanne and her other children, Beau, 12, and Grace, 8, drifted further out, soon losing sight of him.
Austin swam for four hours before reaching land, where he collapsed. He then rang emergency services at about 6pm local time, calmly requesting helicopters, planes and boats. After the call, he passed out from exhaustion and was taken to hospital. Meanwhile, Joanne struggled to keep hold of her younger children in the dark and freezing conditions, fearing the worst. 'I had assumed Austin hadn't made it,' she said.
The search party found the family drifting about 14km offshore, clinging to a paddleboard. Joanne was desperately trying to reach the children after a large wave flipped them off the board. Grace was screaming, and Beau was silent until the boat's engine was turned off so they could locate him. Austin received the news of their rescue minutes after calling his father. Joanne said she could only relax when an ambulance worker confirmed Austin had also survived.
Austin, who started swimming lessons at age four, praised the emergency services' quick response. He said, 'I didn't think I was a hero, I just did what I did.' Police inspector James Bradley commended his actions, stating, 'The actions of the 13-year-old boy cannot be praised highly enough. His determination and courage ultimately saved the lives of his mother and siblings.'
