City gives thanks for gift of life

ACTING Sergeant Katrina Mann, Senior Constable Tracey Baker, Constable Chantell Solomona and first-year Constable Ash Cunningham are heroes. Plain and simple.

If it wasn’t for the actions of the four Kirwan-based police officers, a boy would be dead.

When they arrived at an Aitkenvale home on Saturday to find the lifeless body of a 10-year-old boy on the ground in the backyard, their instincts and training kicked in.

Those moments, Sergeant Mann said, would be with her for a lifetime. They saved a life, they comforted a distraught family and they gave them all a second chance.

We hear all too often of the heavy lifting the police do tackling the city’s crime problem, chasing criminals, kicking in doors, locking up drug dealers — it’s work they gladly undertake.

But it’s not too often they get positive outcomes from dealing with the dregs of Townsville, being assaulted, spat on and abused for their trouble.

So when the officers heard that the boy they worked so hard to save had come out of his coma and was in a stable condition, the feeling of joy must have been nearly overwhelming.

Chief Superintendent Craig Hanlon put it best when he said: “This is a great result … really, really heartwarming. That is worth every dollar they pay us … you can’t put a price on that.”

The paramedics who attended the near-tragic backyard accident also need to be praised, along with the doctors and nurses at Townsville University Hospital, who spent the better part of a week caring for the boy.

It was truly a team effort to help this child and his family.

So to Sergeant Mann, Senior Constable Baker, Constable Solomona and first-year Constable Cunningham – and to all of those involved in saving the young boy’s life – the city thanks you for your service.