Medal of Bravery

• Awarded on: October 13, 2010
• Invested on: February 24, 2012

Donald George Gough, M.B.
Medal of Bravery

On May 23, 2007, Donald Gough rescued an elderly man from a possible drowning in the Similkameen River, in Manning Park, British Columbia. The victim had lost control of his vehicle, which landed upside down in the middle of the river. The car suddenly flipped upright and became lodged on some rocks, allowing the victim to crawl out of his broken window and lean on the edge of the car door. Mr. Gough arrived and quickly took charge of the situation by directing other witnesses to different sections of the riverbank to keep the victim in sight. He drove back to his nearby office and returned with four lengths of fire hose tied together. Tying one end around his waist, Mr. Gough proceeded into the freezing water and, with great difficulty in the strong current, made his way to the barely conscious victim. Mr. Gough tied the hose around the victim's chest, and called out to the others on shore to pull them in. In the end, Mr. Gough let go of the hose and allowed himself and the victim to be carried downstream, where they made it to shore. The hypothermic victim survived the ordeal.