When Jack Middlemiss, a 10-year-old from Cambridge, spotted a boy struggling in the surf shortly before Christmas, his first thought was to help him.
Will, left, and Jack Middlemiss receiving their surf lifesaving awards. Photo: Supplied
“I saw him struggling and knew I had to do something, so I paddled out to him to make sure he was all right,” Jack said.
“We learn all about surf conditions, how to get out of a rip and rescue techniques at Surf Lifesaving Nippers so it was cool to put that into practice for real.”
Jack has since received an award for this act of bravery. The rescue occurred at Shark Alley near Mount Maunganui. While surfing with his dad, Jack saw the boy (aged 8-10 years) who appeared to be out of his depth in the grips of a rip that had formed near rocks.
“The boy had a boogie board but no fins. It was clear he had no idea what was going on or how to get out of it,” he explains. “He had been sucked about 30 metres out, well over his head, past the breakers and past most of the other people in the water.”
Jack Middlemiss receives his award
After pointing this out to his father, Jack paddled to the rescue. He helped the boy climb back onto his board and paddled next to him parallel to the beach, instead of against the rip, before turning towards shore once they were clear.
By that stage, the boy was hanging on to the bottom part of his boogie board and appeared to have no comprehension of the danger he was in or even what a rip was. Jack paddled slowly the whole way with him until they reached the break zone, where the boy managed to catch a wave to shore and leave the water.
Although the boy was last seen walking up the beach while Jack carried on surfing, his bravery certainly did not go unnoticed.
Both Jack and his brother, Will, are proud members of the Mount Maunganui Surf club. The fact Jack could identify the problem, knew what to do about it and then had the confidence to intervene is a testament to the quality of the Mount Surf club’s junior surf programme.
The club recently recognised Will by presenting him with a coach’s award and second place for his age group.
David Graham, Jack’s principal at Goodwood School was impressed, although not too surprised, by his young student’s lifesaving efforts.
“We see the same attitude from him in school, so it’s no great surprise that he’s showing this out in the community too,” he says.
“Our school values spell GRIT – generosity, respect, integrity and trust – it’s great to see Jack demonstrate all those values through his actions in this situation. We’re very proud.”
Jack Middlemiss and his award
