"I think that Austin's brilliant, and I think the world of him. It's wonderful for them to be alive and well, wonderful. I'm proud of the two boys and the wee girl. She's a very, very shy little girl. She doesn't like any publicity at all, versus the two boys are very good, and herself, it was great, absolutely brilliant. And I hope it will give a lesson to other people not to go out on them damn things."
"It was a long, long time; it was four hours. She was sure that he had drowned, but she kept going and kept trying and kept the other two talking and singing and praying, of course."
Joanne Appelbee, originally from Carrickmacross, Co Monaghan, was holidaying with her three children on the western Australian coast when rough ocean and wind conditions dragged their kayaks and paddle boards far from shore shortly after noon. One child drifted out, and attempts to retrieve him met rising winds and waves, loss of oars, and escalating danger. Thirteen-year-old Austin swam for four hours to reach help after the family was swept away. The family had no food or drinkable water and fell into the ocean repeatedly as conditions worsened. Grandmother Doreen Cunningham praised Austin's courage and urged others to avoid such craft in dangerous conditions.
Read at Irish Independent
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