1 January 2026
Swift effort saves swimmer at Stirling Leisure Inglewood
During a late afternoon swim in the outdoor pool at Stirling Leisure Inglewood, a 40-year-old man who was swimming laps suddenly suffered a seizure, lost consciousness and sank to the bottom of the pool.
Another man swimming the same lane, Ofer Lefelman, noticed the unconscious man and immediately began lifting him to the surface.
At the same time, lifeguard Cameron Menzies, who was patrolling the outdoor pool, received a drowning alert on his Lynxight watch – an AI-driven system that uses machine learning to identify potential dangers.
Locating the incident, Cameron saw Ofer supporting the unconscious swimmer and called for urgent assistance over his radio before promptly entering the pool to assist with the rescue. Upon reaching them, he noted the man was blue around the lips but had started to breathe and regain colour although he remained unconscious.
With assistance from another patron, Jayden Peirce, Cameron towed the man to the shallow end where staff members James Rayworth, Rupert Bede and Catherine Errington were setting up the emergency response equipment and contacting emergency services.
The man regained consciousness before leaving the facility and later made a full recovery. Their swift, coordinated actions were crucial in preventing a fatal drowning.
Catherine later described the actions of the team as “instinctive”, that all their training kicked in without having time to think.
“I felt extremely proud of the team I was working with,” she said. “I was extremely happy with the way everything panned out and how well we all worked together. All our training had gone to exceptional use.
“The rescue could have absolutely gone the other way where we could have lost him. I am happy with my team’s performance, and we were lucky enough to get a positive outcome.”
In recognition of their courageous efforts, Ofer, Jayden, and Cameron were awarded Gold Medallion Bravery Awards, while Rupert, Catherine and James received Gold Star Bravery Awards. Rupert and James were unable to attend the awards ceremony attended by the others in October and will receive their awards separately.
Congratulations to each of the award recipients for their incredible teamwork, bravery and swift response that resulted in a life being saved.
If you know someone who has acted in an attempt to save another person's life, you can nominate them for a Bravery Award at the link below.
WA Bravery Awards
