You just go with your instinct.

So says the humble 14-year-old off duty volunteer surf lifesaver who saved a man’s life in October.

When Year 8 student Ashton Davies hit the surf early one Sunday with his mate Max, it started out like any other day at Sydney’s iconic Manly Beach. One minute, the teens were casually paddling on their boards, and the next, Ashton heard a desperate cry for help. Instinctively, he rushed to the swimmer who was in distress. By this stage, the water had become very choppy, and Ashton noted the man was looking exhausted and pale in the face.

 

The distressed swimmer, a local named Sam, was an experienced ocean swimmer. Even so, as he would later tell the Manly Observer: “At that stage, my body just started saying ‘get me out of here’. I was exhausted and started yelling that I was in trouble.”

“Ashton didn’t hesitate. He came straight over and I remember him saying: ‘Don’t worry Sir, we’ll get you to the beach.’ ”

Sam recalls Ashton jumping into the water and helping him onto his board, but he doesn’t remember much more of the rescue. That’s because he was slipping in and out of consciousness as Ashton expertly navigated them back to shore with his buddy Max by his side.

Within 10 minutes, the ambulance arrived and Sam, who had swallowed a huge amount of

saltwater, was rushed to hospital. If this courageous 14-year-old hadn’t come to his rescue, Sam is convinced he would not have survived his ordeal.

Surf lifesaving is in the blood for young Ashton, who had only just turned 14 when he saved Sam’s life. The now junior volunteer surf lifesaver joined Manly Life Saving Club when he was just 5 years old and completed the Nippers program. His mother, Georgina, is a long serving volunteer surf lifesaver at the Manly Surf Club, as is her sister Mel, a three-time Australian Life Saving Champion and a Life Member of the Club.

Whether off duty or on patrol, our heroic volunteers are trained to respond in times of emergency, just as Ashton did that morning at Manly Beach. And in many cases, like Ashton’s, they commit to a gruelling personal training regime.

Behind the scenes, to support these incredible volunteers, Surf Life Saving Australia invests thousands of dollars every year to maintain their lifesaving equipment – from power craft like inflatable rescue boats to patrol equipment including rescue fins and rescue boards. Then there’s the cost of critical medical equipment such as defibrillators, oxygen resuscitation and spinal management equipment, and First Aid Kits.

Add in the cost of training new volunteer surf lifesavers and helping to educate the Australian community about beach safety, and you can see why Surf Life Saving Australia desperately needs your support.

Every dollar you donate sends a powerful message of support to volunteer surf lifesavers like Ashton. As he told us recently: “I understand that not everyone has the time or the ability to volunteer like we do, but a donation makes a huge difference in supporting our lifesaving community.”

Over the Christmas weekend alone, our dedicated volunteer surf lifesavers performed 14,236 preventative actions, returning 116 loved ones home to their friends and family and administered more than 1,000 first aid treatments.

Beach heroes like Ashton need – and deserve – your support. May his story inspire you to donate to the Surf Life Saving Foundation today.