Summary

Bronze medal awarded to Hay MacDowell by the Royal Humane Society of Australasia for his act of bravery on 27 January 1908 (case number 2471). MacDowell, of St John's Pde, Kew, was a 33-year-old singing master. He was swimming at Ninety Mile Beach with John Mouritz, aged nine, and Charles Cyril Login, aged 8. The tide was running out, and the undertow caught the boys and carried them into a hole about 20 feet deep. They called out, and MacDowell, who was 'not a good swimmer, swam in, caught the younger boy, brought him to land, and then, returning for the older boy, rescued him also'.

Physical Description

An mounted and issued bronze prize medal of the Society (39 mm diameter with purple ribbon) It features a female placing a wreath on the head of a kneeling male beneath the Southern Cross and provides the name of the winner, Hay MacDowell and the date 1908 on the reverse within a wreath. This medal does not have the usual artist's names nor plants, it appears to be from a 20th century replacement for the original dies.

Obverse Description

At centre, a female standing on left facing right placing a wreath on the head of a kneeling male beneath the Southern Cross, around, VIRTUTE PARATUM

Reverse Description

Around a wreath, ROYAL HUMANE SOCIETY OF AUSTRALASIA INSTD. A.D. 1874 within wreath, AWARDED TO

Edge Description

Plain

Significance

Medal awarded to Hay MacDowell by the Royal Humane Society of Australasia for an act of bravery on 27 January 1908 (case #2471). MacDowell, of St John's Pde, Kew, was a 33-year-old singing master. He was swimming at Ninety Mile Beach with John Mouritz, aged nine, and Charles Cyril Login, aged 8. The tide was running out, and the undertow caught the boys and carried them into a hole about 20 feet deep. They called out, and MacDowell, who was 'not a good swimmer, swam in, caught the younger boy, brought him to land, and then, returning for the older boy, rescued him also'. Royal Humane Society of Australasia Annual Report 1908, p.31.-D. Tout-Smith 16/1/2004.

The Royal Humane Society of Australasia was founded in 1874 as the Victorian Humane Society. In 1882 it became 'The Royal Humane Society of Australasia', the first federal institution in Australia. The first object of the Society was to bestow award upon people who risked their lives to save others; the second object was to assist receipients who were disadvanted or disabled as a result of their brave actions, or to assist their surviving dependents. Initially the Society also arranged swimming and lifesaving training, but other organisations later took over this role. For many years the Society was located in the Old Customs House, Flinders Street. -Website of the Royal Humane Society of Australasia - http://www.rhsa.org.au/; Faringdon-Davis, John. 1984. The Royal Humane Society. Australian Numismatist. 5 (August): 2-15; South Australian Numismatic Journal. Vol.7 [2]. April 1956, p.13.-D. Tout-Smith 19/9/2003.

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