On 5 August 1983, fourteen-year-old Wilfred MacKenzie rescued a boy, aged 13, from certain drowning in coastal Atlantic waters. The boy and his friends were diving off a shelf of rock some distance from shore when a huge wave swept him away. A poor swimmer, his frantic attempts to return to the rock failed and he was drawn out to sea. Responding to cries for help, although an inexperienced swimmer and untrained in rescue techniques, Wilfred made his way to his friend, by then exhausted and in danger of drowning. Receding tide, high surf and off-shore winds combined to make his task very difficult, but the young rescuer persisted. Struggling against the fast-moving waters while holding the boy's head above the surface, Wilfred finally succeeded in bringing him to shore.