Wendy Tucknott, Inspector Jodie Graham and Wendy Toole of the NSW SES Tocumwal Unit and NSW SES Southern Zone Deputy Commander, Superintendent Scott McLennan.
Three SES volunteers and two police officers have been commended for their role in a rescue on the Murray River at Tocumwal.
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On July 17, 2022, a report was received by the husband of a 72 year-old woman after her clothes were located on the banks of the Murry River near Tocumwal Boat Ramp.
From footprints located nearby it was evident that the woman had entered the river.
A multi-agency response involving police, NSW and Victorian SES, NSW Fire + Rescue and Ambulance NSW was launched.
It included a search of the river utilising NSW SES volunteers and boats.
The woman was sighted by the NSW SES Tocumwal boat team and police and Ambulance NSW paramedics were alerted, making their way to the woman who was located trapped in the roots of a tree in the water.
Emergency services negotiated many obstacles within the river to reach the area where the woman was sighted.
She was suffering from severe hypothermia and was later transferred by ambulance to hospital in a critical condition.
For the outstanding commitment and dedication to their community the NSW Police Force Murray River Police District have awarded a Commander’s Commendation to the members of the Tocumwal boat crew.
Sen Con Romancewicz and Superintendent Paul Smith APM.
They were Tocumwal NSW SES members Inspector Jodie Graham, Wendy Toole and boat coxswain Wendy Tucknott.
The NSW Police Force officers to receive commendations were Senior Constable Romancewicz and Acting Sergent Jackson.
Ms Tucknott said while no-one joins the emergency services for the accolades or medals, she said it was nice for those involved to be officially recognised.
“We do these things, we volunteer, because we want to make sure people get home safe,” she said.
“It was in the middle of winter, in the pouring rain and amid heavy winds,” she recalled of the day the rescue took place.
“We eventually saw the woman underneath the tree caught up in a large root ball. She was up to her hips in mud.
“The tree was huge and the root ball was huge, and given the conditions we were very lucky to have spotted her.
“She had been there quite a long time. She had gone missing about 6am and we were called in about 10am, and by the time we got her back to her family it was after 12pm.
“We had to negotiate snags and the mud was treacherous.
“All three of us used our wet weather gear to warm the patient up.”
Acting Sgt Jackson and Superintendent Paul Smith APM.
Insp Graham and Ms Toole exited the boat to assist with the rescue of the woman, which meant they too became stuck in the mud.
Ms Tucknott remembers having to assist them to get back into the boat, which was quite a feat.
While the boat crew transported the woman back to safety, other emergency services we providing other forms of assistance to aid the process.
Ms Tucknott specifically mentioned the Tocumwal FRNSW crew, which used the fire hose to clear away mud from the beach boat ramp.
The mud had made launching the boat a difficult task, and being cleared meant the patient could be brought to shore more safely.
The commendations were awarded at a special ceremony in Albury last week.
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