General News
15 April, 2024
Local hero Martin Long earns the prestigious Commendation for Brave Conduct
What underpins the making of a hero? If Wareek resident, Martin Long, was posed that question he would likely come short of an answer. Similarly, if asked why he endangered his life to save another’s, one would again be met with a thoughtful...
What underpins the making of a hero?
If Wareek resident, Martin Long, was posed that question he would likely come short of an answer.
Similarly, if asked why he endangered his life to save another’s, one would again be met with a thoughtful silence.
Much like asking a bird to articulate why it flies, Martin’s courageous nature, instinctive and purely innate, defies easy explanation.
Two years ago, he came to the rescue of a couple trapped in their car, submerged in rising floodwaters in the Bet Bet Creek.
And while it might be difficult for him to describe the reasoning behind his actions, there is no doubting their heroic significance — locally and nationally.
In recognition of Martin’s fearless act, he will soon be conferred with an Australian Bravery Decorations — Commendation for Brave Conduct.
On the night of October 13, 2022, Martin received a distressing call from a local resident informing him a vehicle holding two elderly occupants was precariously lodged against the railing of the inundated bridge.
Immediately, unperturbed by the pitch black darkness, Martin drove out in his tractor, hoping to pull the car back to safety.
After multiple tries, he managed to retrieve the woman and drove her towards Maryborough, where he requested assistance from police to save the man — who at this stage was chin-deep in the water.
Martin, accompanied by an officer, re-entered the floodwater in the tractor and saw that the car had washed into surrounding trees.
Swimming against the gushing current, threatening to sweep him away, Martin got out of the tractor and made his way to the vehicle — he finally opened the car door and got the male occupant out.
The officer climbed over the tractor’s bonnet to the right-side tyre and threw a chain to the pair and pulled them back, out of danger.
“I just did what I did,” Martin said on why he undertook the impressive feat.
“I didn’t do it to get any [accolades] or anything — I knew there was a man inside and he was alive, so I had to get him out.”
For his partner, Rebecca Ratcliffe, despite the dangerousness of the situation, Martin’s bravery comes as no surprise.
“At that time, I don’t think he was thinking about his own well-being, or what would happen if he drowned — he was only thinking about helping those people and making sure they’re okay,” she said.
“[That’s who] Martin is. He puts others before himself and if someone else needed help, he would put his hand up.”
Although the widespread saying observes — heroes aren’t born, they’re made — Martin, with his inherent community-mindedness, could be a worthy exception.
He will receive the commendation at a ceremony at Government House this year.