Man gives thanks to his little heroes
Published: December 30, 2005
A MAN who cheated death at a Bendigo pool on Wednesday has revealed how his nine-year-old daughter and her friend dragged him to safety and alerted lifesavers.
Luke Unthank described his daughter, Shari, and her school-friend, Bethany Martyn, as “my little heroes”, moments after he was released from Bendigo Hospital yesterday.
Mr Unthank was at the Bendigo Aquatic Centre when he suffered an asthma attack shortly after diving into the 50-metre pool.
Lifeguards had to perform CPR on Mr Unthank as he lay on the pool deck, before paramedics arrived and stabilised his condition.
Yesterday, the 44-year-old from Tyabb said he feared for his life and began to panic as the attack took hold.
“I went straight under, and realised straight away that I was in a spot of bother.
“I went back under, and the girls realised when I went under the second time that I was having a real problem.
“I remember Bethany grabbing hold of me and telling me to relax, and she got me to the edge of the pool while Shari raced off to get the lifesavers.
“Bethany got me to the edge and held me by the arm so I didn’t go back under and drown, that was pretty amazing.
“Then the lifesavers came over, but after that it’s a bit hazy. I don’t remember getting out of the pool and the next thing I know I woke up in hospital.”
Mr Unthank praised the actions of his quick-thinking heroines, as well as the centre’s lifeguards.
“Shari has been taking swimming lessons for a while now, so they’ve obviously paid off,” he said.
“Apart from the lifeguards - who I am going to go and see shortly - these two deserve all the praise. They are my little heroes as far as I am concerned.”
The two girls said they were “worried and confused” when Mr Unthank suffered his attack.
“They were probably pretty frightened, but they did an amazing job,” Mr Unthank said.
He said he was likely to steer clear of water activities in the near future.
“I think I’ll do something safer, like stick to riding motorbikes.”
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