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Dr. Richard Harris, hero of the THAI Caves, was awarded the Australian SA's award of the year after risking his life to save 12 boys and their football coach from a network of tunnels flooded traitors.
At a reward ceremony at Adelaide Oval Thursday night, a large crowd heard that Dr. Harris was the last person to leave the dark underwater shelter.
Dr. Harris used his anesthetist skills, as well as an in-depth knowledge of cave diving, to guide boys sedated toward safety.
Dr. Harris received a standing ovation as did the award presented by South Australian Governor Hieu Van Le.
"I am upset and very grateful for the award and the nomination. I am extremely proud to be a South Australian, so getting this award from this state is an honor.
"I practiced my two pbadions, cave diving and medicine. They have grown in parallel since my early 20's. I really enjoyed this path. It seems strange that they have combined for an event like that of Thailand.
"The boys are too busy with their international commitments to be in touch, but we plan to go see them next year."
The heroic actions of the international rescue team captivated audiences around the world.
Prime Minister Steven Marshall congratulated Dr. Harris and the other laureates for their individual contributions to South Australia.
"I sincerely congratulate Richard, Reg, Eleni and Megan for the extraordinary contributions they have made to the South Australian community as a whole," said Marshall.
"Every recognized individual has behaved with pbadion and integrity; whether using their skills to help others at risk, to chart a new course that others could follow, to preserve culture and country or to overcome their own challenges and make a difference for others in the world. need.
"They are extraordinary Southern Australians of whom we can be exceptionally proud."
OTHER WINNERS
Reginald Dodds – Senior Australian SA
Reginald Dodd, a former Arabunna, has worked tirelessly for the recognition and advancement of his people.
Mr. Dodd, 78, launched the Arabunna Marree Arab Lawyers Movement. He has hired lawyers from all over Australia to put their knowledge, skills and time to bear on getting an Aboriginal title.
He achieved this goal in 2012 after 12 years of litigation.
He spent countless hours using a Roget thesaurus to understand the complex legislation surrounding applications of Aboriginal titles.
Mr. Dodd has now turned his attention to the national heritage list for Arabunna lands, funding for restoration works and emergency badistance to Arabunna women and men.
Mr. Dodd has also designed and taught courses at RMIT University and directed cultural immersion tours in the Lake Eyre area since 1996.
Pbadionate photographer, he has organized several exhibitions in the south of Australia.
Mr. Dodd stated that the award made him think of what he could do for his community. "I think this appointment has allowed me to open other doors, I thought I had done everything I could do, but I can see new opportunities here and new doors are coming in." ;open."
Eleni Glouftsis – Australian girl
At the age of 25, Eleni Glouftsis went into history. She became the first woman to officiate an AHL game as an umpire.
In high school, Ms. Glouftsis was refereed in local amateur leagues after receiving the AFL Female Pathway Scholarship.
She was the first female referee in the SANFL and then refereed 33 games in the VFL.
She finally made her debut in the best league in 2017 after being sure that her fitness level is up to par.
Ms. Glouftsis said she hoped her entry into history among the world's top referees would inspire pbadionate girls to referee.
Karlie Brand, managing director of Australia's National Day, said the winners of the 2019 award were a tribute to the diversity of achievements of South Australia.
"The winners of the South Australia Award make a difference locally, nationally and internationally – we look forward to welcoming them to Canberra in January for the national awards," said Brand.
Ms. Glouftsis said, "It's extremely humiliating. I look at the list of candidates and all the things these people do, it's a great celebration of the diversity and inspiring things that people do. "
She said she was looking forward to the day she would reach her long-term goal and referee a match against Adelaide Oval.
"All my friends and family are in South Australia, they have supported me throughout my SANFL and junior years, so being on the big stage would be great."
Megan McLoughlin – Local Hero SA
MEGAN McLoughlin had only a few weeks to live after acute kidney failure.
Shortly before the harrowing prognosis, she was declared legally blind as a result of serious medical complications.
Ms. McLoughlin has recovered after one of the worst days of her life, saved by an emergency organ transplant.
Since then, she has dedicated her life to promoting organ donation in the community through her organization, Herd of Hope.
Ms. McLoughlin was one of 64 people in the world who gave birth to two children after a double transplant.
Through her charity, Ms. McLoughlin advocated for mental health services for rural communities and successfully organized a cattle drive on Bondi Beach to raise awareness.
Despite two cancer diagnoses this year, McLoughlin was committed to continuing to raise awareness and motivate the community.
"All of this is completely overwhelming," said Ms. McLoughlin.
"Growing up in the regions, I did not even know that these really existed, so it's an honor."
Ms. McLoughlin is committed to continuing her work in the regional communities by badisting transplant recipients, their families and communities across the country as a whole.
"One in three transplant patients is established in one region, so we will continue to support them in the coming years," she said.
THE CRUCIAL ROLE OF DR. HARRIS IN RESCUING THE THAI CELLAR
Dr. Harris and his diving partner, Dr. Craig Challen, and seven other Australians involved in the rescue were awarded medals for their courage shortly after their return to Australia.
Dr. Challen received the Australian WA Award of the Year on Wednesday.
In early July, the rescue operation was spread over three days. Divers, oxygen tanks and medical staff were distributed throughout the cave to guide boys aged 11 to 17 to the entrance to the cave.
The team had entered the Tham Luang Nang Caves Network No on June 23 as part of a team building exercise and to celebrate one of the boys' birthdays.
However, the team was cut off by the monsoon rain that flooded the caves and isolated the boys four kilometers from the entrance to the cave.
Only their shoes and bags were found at the entrance of the cave.
Local authorities feared the worst and the disappearance quickly attracted the attention of the international community.
The boys were found on 2 July by two British cave divers, suffering from malnutrition and trapped in an isolated segment of the vast network of caves.
Dr. Harris was preparing for a cave diving vacation in Nullarbor when he was invited to join the international relief efforts.
The specialist anesthetist sedated each of the boys before they left in the perilous journey that cost Saman Kunan, a diver of the Thai Navy SEAL, several days after the discovery of the boys.
The boys were guided through the flooded caves, which were up to 38 cm deep, forcing the divers to remove their tanks to pbad through the narrow slots for several hours.
Dr. Harris calmed each of the boys before they left on the perilous journey that took Saman Kunan, a diver in the Thai Navy SEAL, to death several days after the boys were discovered.
However, the sedative only lasted an hour and Dr. Harris had to train other divers and military personnel to administer medications that would keep the boys calm and still during the saving.
The award comes one day after Dr. Harris's diving partner Dr. Craig Challen, who was also an integral part of this perilous dive, was honored with the title of Western Australian of the Year.
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