TWO years ago, Mick White, an off-duty police officer, ran into a building fire and rescued a mother and her young son from the blaze, which was rapidly spreading out of control.
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His actions have already earned him a Regional Commissioner’s Award for Bravery and now he will receive a national Commendation for Brave Conduct from the Governor General, the Honourable Sir Peter Cosgrove.
He is one of 34 recipients to receive the award and was notified last week of the honour.
Acting Inspector White, who is based at Orange Police Station, said he was surprised by the attention his actions on the day are receiving , and said “what he did wasn’t a big deal.”
“I am a bit puzzled [by all the attention] I just don’t see what I did as a big deal. I reacted to a situation, that was it.”
That “situation” was running inside a smoke filled restaurant in Keppel Street in Bathurst where he found a woman and her young child inside. The woman was trying to save things from the fire, but Inspector White knew they had to get out, and quickly.
He said when he entered the building he didn’t know what to expect.
“I just saw smoke pouring out of the restaurant and the visibility inside was bad.”
“It was very difficult to breath and the smoke was getting really thick.”
After getting the woman and child out, he then turned his attention to evacuating the units above the business.
Reflecting on his actions that day, he said he simply acted on instinct.
He said the first time he got wind of the national award was when he got a call from the Governor General’s office last week to see if it would be okay for the media to contact him.
He said he couldn’t believe he had been nominated for the award.
“Never in a million years did I think I would get a national award for this.
“I’m very shocked and very humbled to be considered for it, let alone receive the commendation.
“I’ve been included among some very esteemed company, it is a real honour” he said.
