Logan brothers Rabbi, 6, and Tegh, 4, have emerged heroes after saving the life of a four-year-old boy who nearly drowned at a Gold Coast pool.
“The boys saw another boy drowning and straight away jumped in the pool and pushed him out,” their father, Preetsimar Virdi, said.
For the two boys, their heroic actions were instinct.
Both Rabbi and Tegh have taken swimming lessons at Logan Swim School (at Logan North Aquatic Centre) since they were one.
So last September when they were holidaying at the Voco Hotel in Surfers Paradise, they were well-prepared to save another boy’s life.
The brothers were playing in the hotel pool when they noticed a four-year-old jump into the deep end, chasing after a toy he had thrown in.
After noticing the boy was in trouble, Rabbi and Tegh immediately rushed to the boy’s aid and pulled him from the water.
“I just rushed to the kids and by the time I got there, the boys had already saved him,” their mother said.
“They’ve done a really good job, I’m really proud of them, and they’re the heroes.”
Last week Rabbi and Tegh were awarded Kids Alive Do the Five ‘Watch Your Mate’ medals by champion swimming coach Laurie Lawrence.
Watch Your Mate is a new initiative by the Kids Alive safety program that aims to recognise those who make substantial contributions to water safety.
Mr Lawrence, the Kids Alive founder, said Rabbi and Tegh were “real life heroes”.
“They put into practice the skills they’ve learned at Logan Swim school,” he said.
“Their quick thinking and bravery are remarkable for their age and serve as a shining example for the community.
“That’s why they deserve the Kids Alive Watch Your Mate medal.”
Mr Lawrence said pool safety was incredibly important, especially considering “over three-fifths of drowning deaths in pools are related to swimming and recreation”.
“This incident is a stark reminder of how crucial it is to be vigilant about supervision around water, especially with young children,” he said.
“The Virdi brothers’ heroic act is a call to action for all Australians to brush up on their pool safety knowledge and to make sure children are learning to swim.”
A new report from Royal Life Saving Australia said there had been 72 confirmed drowning deaths in Australia between 1 December 2023 and 30 January 2024.
“This is a four per cent increase on the five-year average for this point in the summer, and a 24 eper cent increase from last summer,” the report said.
The report predicted there would be over 100 drowning deaths before the end of February if “drowning deaths continue to occur at the rate they have so far this summer”.
“… making this one of the worst summers for drowning in recent memory.”
For pool safety tips and advice, visit kidsalive.com.au.
