A WEE WAA father has received one of the nation’s highest honours for a brave act that saw him risk his life to save another.
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Clive Redfern doesn't consider himself a hero, but it was all made official on Sunday when he was named as the recipient of an Australian Bravery Medal.
The honour stemmed from an horrific truck crash in July 2013, where Mr Redfern rescued a man from a burning semi-trailer near Narrabri.
The local man, who was driving a truck carting gravel, witnessed the accident 30km south of Narrabri on the Kamilaroi Highway.
Mr Redfern saw a B-double truck veer off the highway and crash into a tree as it swerved to avoid an oncoming utility vehicle.
It was then Mr Redfern stopped his truck and ran to assist the truck driver, whose cabin was smouldering.
Despite the risk of an explosion, he climbed onto the truck's cabin and kicked the windscreen until it broke, and helped the injured driver to safety as the truck's fuel tank exploded.
Speaking to The Leader, Mr Redfern said he hoped someone would have done the same for him in that situation.
“I never thought anything of it,” He said.
I just thought I needed to get him out of there
- Clive Redfern
“I just assumed if it had happened to me someone would do the same.
“It’s only after talking to people, that I realised (the gravity of the situation.)
Mr Redfern is a father of one, and spoke about his shock when he realised he knew the trapped truck driver.
“I got him out of the truck and I didn’t realise I knew him until then,” he said.
“I ran to the ute first, but the guy was standing beside the car and said he was alright.
“I turned and ran to the truck and I could see the man’s leg behind him, the truck was on all of its wheels but the cabin was on its side.
“While we were getting him out one tyre exploded and a fuel tank exploded, I never thought about the danger at the time; I just thought I needed to get him out of there.”
Mr Redfern said there’s still marks on the road at the site of the fiery crash and while he doesn’t think about the accident on a daily basis, he admits the event has had an impact on him.
“I do think about it when I drive on that bit of road,” he said.
“I didn’t notice it (the shock) on the day until I had a glass of water in my hand and was shaking.
“It shook me more than I realised, I guess.”
