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Brave five-year-old is hailed as a ‘hero’ after she saved a three-year-old from drowning and dragged her to safety after seeing her unconscious in the water
- Matthew Pearce said he was extremely proud of his daughter Matilda.
- Five-year-old girl noticed a girl face down in the water and dragged her to safety
- He was swimming in the pool of a holiday resort in Cairns, North Queensland.
A five-year-old girl is becoming a hero after saving a young boy from drowning in a resort pool in tropical north Queensland.
Matthew Pearce said he was extremely proud of his daughter Matilda, who went to the BIG4 Port Douglas Glengarry Holiday Park for a swim with family friends on Wednesday morning and saw the girl drowning after jumping down the slide.
“He realized a three-year-old girl was unconscious in the water and dragged her to the edge of the pool where the adults noticed and revived her,” Pearce told Daily Mail Australia on Friday.
“According to on-site management at the resort, they reviewed the footage and if Matilda hadn’t helped, it could have been a very different story,” Pearce said.
Little Matilda is being hailed as a hero (pictured) after she dragged a toddler who was lying face down in the water to safety where adults revived her
Matthew Pearce said he was extremely proud of his daughter who had been treated to ‘lots of ice cream’ (Pictured: Pearce family)
“I’m so proud that my daughter sensed the danger and acted to get her to safety,” he said.
The prep student at Holy Cross School in Trinity Park just started swimming training this year, which she does twice a week and probably helped her recognize when someone needs help in the water, her father said.
Pearce added that Matilda was humble and doesn’t really understand that she’s a hero, but has been rewarded with “lots of ice cream, gum and donuts.”
A witness said the three-year-old was not moving when she was pulled out of the water.
The waterslide at the resort pool where Matilda noticed the toddler (the time she dragged the toddler to safety is marked)
“One of the men in the group patted her back, water came out and she came to,” he said. The Cairns Post.
It could have taken a minute or two. With these things it’s always hard to tell, it felt like a long time.
The girl was taken to hospital for routine checkups and has made a good recovery.