Life Saving Medals

Lot 3853    Session 14 (4.30pm Thursday 24 November) Leslie J Carlisle C    Life Saving Medals

Estimate $750
Bid at live.noble.com.au
SOLD $440

ROYAL HUMANE SOCIETY OF AUSTRALASIA BRONZE MEDAL, with ribbon brooch bar, reverse of medal inscribed to 'Allen/Christopher/Bolt/27.10.09'. In Stokes & Sons, maker's case named to Allen Christopher Bolt, uncirculated.

Together with original award document, in leather cover, named to Allen Christopher Bolt of Murthoo, St Australia, Farmer, aged 35, on rescuing Robert Hall from drowning in the River Murray at Paringa S.A, October 27th 1909, dated at Melbourne 10th February 1910 and signed by Secretary, R.W.E.Wilmot and President, G.Lush.

Reports at the time stated that the newly established punt at Paringa, two miles below Renmark, was the scene of a disaster on 27 October. Mr. R. Smales, assisted by Messrs August Greatz, K. Bolt, Ullrich, and Hall, was crossing a mob of horses, purchased at the Kapunda sale. Two trips had been successfully made, but during the last, in the dusk of the evening, the horses, 17 in number, became restive, and in the attempt to keep them in hand, Hall was knocked overboard. Allen Christopher 'Kit' Bolt jumped into the middle of the crushing, swirling river (and it does swirl in flood time at Paringa), coat, boots and all, to save young Hall from drowning. He supported Hall in the water until picked up by Mr Proudfoot and Mr Rogers, who reached them just in time with their boat to save rescuer and rescued from a watery grave.

During the commotion Greatz was seen to make a clean dive overboard, which was the last seen of him. His body was found in a billabong a few days later. All the horses were thrown out of the punt, which broke from the cross chain, and seven were drowned. Smales and Ullrich stuck to the punt, and were taken off by Proudfoot. Hall would certainly have lost his life but for Bolt's courage. The accident happened in midstream. The river at Paringa is now some 600 yards wide, and just at the crossing there is a particularly swift, swirling current.

Mr Pitt, the chairman of the punt trustees indicated that an account of Mr Bolt's action had been forwarded to the authorities. Mr Bolt is a fine type of the Australian bushman, and would doubtless disclaim, any pretensions to heroism; but there are occasions when the public have a right to demand that a man's native modesty be overborne. And this is one of them.