Superheroes are real. They are ordinary people who do extraordinary things without taking into consideration their own safety. This was the case for Wentworth’s ‘Amazing Eight’. When they heard the desperate pleas of the 79 old Lillian White, they did what any superhero would do. They saved a life.
It was just an ordinary Thursday afternoon in Wentworth, when Brett Eddie and Brylan Kock were alerted to a fire that was raging through a nearby flat. They were told that the 79-year-old paralysed and bedridden Lillian were still trapped inside, along with her special needs son, Roland. They, along with some other guys, rushed over to the flat in the hope of being able to help.
When Brett and Brylan arrived at the flat, they saw a visibly shocked Roland being rescued by Malcolm Govender and Hayden Bennie. The flat was engulfed in flames with Lillian still trapped inside. The two rescuers had already inhaled too much of the thick, black smoke; and they surely would have died had they gone back in. It was too late for Lillian and no sane human being would risk their lives trying to save her. However, when Brett and Brylan heard the desperate Lilian pleading, “please don’t leave me”, it was too much for them. They had to do something, even if it meant risking their lives.
Thinking fast, they put in place a plan. The smoke was too thick and it was impossible to see inside, but Brett knew the layout of the flat and led the rescue. Brylan worked in the petrol refinery industry and part of his job training included firefighting training and on-site drills. This meant that he had the basic skills that would allow him to enter the burning flat and direct the rescue operation. After working out everything, they wrapped their sweaters around their mouths and went in.
The smoke was about half a metre off the ground, so they had to leopard crawl to avoid it. The rescue operation was however, almost over before it started. The smoke was too thick, overwhelming them and the two men had to flee the flat before they choked and suffocated. This however did not deter them and after taking a few breaths, they went back in. Brett was leading and Brylan followed by holding on to his belt. They could not see anything, including each other, with Brett depending on his memory of the flat’s layout to get to the bedroom where Lillian was trapped. The fire was so fierce, that they could hear the flames lapping at them. They finally made to the bedroom and fumbled around until they found the bedroom door handle. Brylan had to kick in the door to the bedroom where they found Lillian in bed, still pleading, “please don’t leave me”. When they looked behind them though, they knew they would not be able to get Lillian through the fog of thickening black smoke and raging flames. Thankfully, they weren’t only heroes hard at work.
Outside, a group of locals were hard at work, trying to put out the fire by passing buckets of water to throw at the flames. These included Malcolm and Hayden, who had saved Roland, as well as Deon Redman, Rowin Saunders, Lindrooi Dorkin, and Cyril Ward. After realising that they had to find another solution, they rushed to where the bedroom was situated and started pushing and pulling at the burglar bars, trying to get it to budge. A nearly suffocated Brylant had crawled back outside to help with burglar bars and after some struggling; they managed to pry it off. Brett, who had stayed behind in the burning flat, passed Lillian through the window and the rest of the rescue team helped him get out.
After the rescue operation was complete, they hosed down Lillian’s legs. She was coughing up black phlegm and had to be rushed to the hospital where she recovered. Brett and Brylant had also been coughing and vomiting after having inhaled too much of the deadly smoke.
Asked why he did it, Brylant says that he thinks it was a combination of adrenalin and the fact that he could not ignore the pleas for help from a granny. He says that although there are a lot of stories about Wentworth’s drugs and gangs, this rescue operation really shows that there are a lot of good people in the community. He suggested that although some of the guys involved in the rescue might have made some wrong choices in life, their actions showed him a different side to them. It humbled him and where others see hopelessness, because of these superheroes, he now sees the kind of potential that is still alive in Wentworth.
Most superheroes do not wear capes nor do they live in mansions. They are ordinary people, doing extraordinary things, inspiring bravery in others and creating a cycle of bravery, compassion and humanity. They sometimes mess up in life, only to be faced with a life threatening situation that will test them and force them to reveal their true selves. Yes, Superheroes are real; and some of them live in Wentworth.
Source(s): IOL (from an article written by Tanya Waterworth), other