When Port Campbell’s Murray Barnewall saw a large wave sweep a young girl off a jetty and into rough seas, he didn’t hesitate.
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He threw his keys out of his pocket and dove head-first into the water after her still wearing his jeans and boots.
Melanie Fonseka, aged 10 at the time, had been on the Port Campbell jetty with her mum and dad and other relatives when the wave pulled her into the ocean.
“I saw her running from the wave and she flipped over the guard rail and fell into the sea and the wave took her out,” Mr Barnewall, 59, said.
“I got a feeling her father wasn't confident in the water so I made the decision to go.
“I did it very quickly and just jumped in. If I had thought about it I might not have done it.”
During the herculean effort that followed, the former park ranger struggled against a king tide and a large swell to deliver Melanie to safety.
The pair was violently swept under the jetty by the force of the waves.
Mr Barnewall made multiple attempts to use the surging water to pass the girl to her father before he was successful.
“Initially I wasn't worried but we did get washed around a bit and washed up on the rocks and washed out again,” he said.
“It was very tiring and I was glad we got out when we did.”
Mr Barnewall got the chance to meet with Melanie on Tuesday for the first time since the 2014 incident as he was presented with the 2015 Stanhope Gold Medal.
He said it was fantastic to see the family again.
Melanie and her family, who live in Narre Warren South, thanked Mr Barnewall for his actions and invited him to visit them at their home.
The day after the rescue incident the family had returned to Port Campbell Surf Lifesaving Club in an unsuccessful attempt to meet him.
Governor-General Peter Cosgrove presented the prestigious bravery medal in Melbourne on behalf of the British Royal Humane Society.
Mr Barnewall had been nominated for the award by the Royal Humane Society of Australasia.
The grandfather of five, who has been retired for just over a month, said he didn’t expect to be publicly honoured.
“I appreciated being recognised but I didn't ask for the award,” Mr Barnewall said.
“I'm sure many other people in Port Campbell would have done the same thing. I was just the right person in the right spot at the right time.”
The Stanhope Gold Medal was started in 1873, and this is the 10th time an Australasian nomination has won.
