Rodney Stevens
A humble former Yamba resident who saved the life of a teenage boy who was caught in a rip at Yamba in February 2019 will be awarded a Bravery Medal for his heroic actions by the Australian Governor-General.
Erik Fink told the CV Independent for the past 38 years he has swum in the ocean regularly and when he went to check the surf on Saturday, February 23 as huge waves from tropical cyclone Oma pounded the coast at Main Beach, he had a ‘gut feeling’ to go to Turners Beach.
“When I parked my little Getz there, I saw the waves and they were so big the car park was flooded from the waves crashing over the rocks…I got out of the car and looked around and saw two kids playing up to their waist in the whitewash, just having fun being kids,” he said.
“Within seconds one of them got washed off his feet and pulled away by a rip, I watched him for a few seconds, he was trying to swim against the rip back to shore and when I saw him shake his head at his mate I stripped down to my underwear and sprinted down the steps and dived in and swam to him as quickly as I could.
“I just spoke to him and said, ‘look mate, do everything that I say, and everything is going to be fine, just relax,’ and he did.”
As they were being dragged out along the southern rocks at Turners Beach by the rip, Mr Fink said some helpful locals just metres away on the rocks waved a surfboard at him and threw it into the ocean, so he grabbed it and got back to the teen.
“I was worried about us getting smashed into the rocks and getting all cut up, he said.
“I said to him ‘I don’t care if you crush my ribs, you have to hold on as tight as you can,’ then on the first wave he lost his grip, so I said, ‘you’ll have to hold on tighter.’
“The conditions that day were wild, the waves were pushing us in, but the rip was so strong that even though the waves were so massive, they didn’t push us all the way to the beach.
“I jumped off the board and could feel the sand underneath my feet, so I pushed him and said, ‘go go go’, and the next wave took him a bit further toward the rocks and someone came down to grab him and got washed off their feet as well, but fortunately they got up and grabbed the teenager’s hand.
“Then I got up and held the surfboard up because I didn’t want to scratch it and gave it back and thanked them.
“I got out of the water, and I got a standing ovation from all of the people watching.”
An accomplished musician, Mr Fink said this was the second time he had rescued a life in the ocean after he saved his friend Stephen King in the mid-1980s when they were on a tour of NSW and Queensland with “The Canberra Wind Ensemble”.
Every year, two Australian Bravery lists are announced after the independent Australian Bravery Decorations Council makes recommendations to the Governor-General about who should be recognised and what level of award they should receive.
Yesterday (Tuesday), the Governor-General Sam Mostyn announced 41 Australian Bravery Decorations to recognise the courage of 46 people including Mr Fink.
“I would like to congratulate today’s recipients of Australian Bravery Decorations,” the Governor-General said.
“Australian Bravery Decorations honour those Australians who put themselves in danger to protect the lives or property of others.
“On behalf of all Australians, congratulations to you all and thank you for your bravery.”
Mr Fink’s Bravery Medal will be presented at an upcoming ceremony on a date to be confirmed.
To watch a video of the rescue on the Yamba Noticeboard Facebook page visit https://www.facebook.com/groups/360835070956424/posts/755412098165384/