13 MAY 2020 | ISSUE 449 | FREE
Labelled a hero, Tuesday May 5th 2020 will be a day that 14 year old Maddy Boddington will not forget. The Community Voice caught up with Maddy to hear first hand about the incident and her heroics that helped save the life of a young girl. It was around 2pm and Maddy was enjoying a walk along the boardwalk of Lake Nagambie whilst Endah Chilcott and her family were also out and about taking in the fresh air and sunshine. “I was taking my daughters, Ana and Silvey for a bike ride and to have a break from homeschooling. We always follow the footpath next to the information centre. The girls had already gone down to the boardwalk but they wanted to ride from the top one more time. I always tell them to be careful and to ride slowly but on this occasion my 5 year old daughter Ana, went off the track and rode down the grassy hill,” Endah said. “It happened so quickly, Ana was going too fast and forgot to use the brake. As a result she ended up in the lake with her bike. I wasn’t fast enough to stop
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her but thankfully there was a teenage girl nearby and without hesitation she jumped into the lake and helped my daughter out from the water,” said Endah. That teenage girl was Maddy Boddington. “I noticed the little girl riding down the hill on her bike, she didn’t stop and fell in,” said Maddy. “I could hear her mother yelling, ‘I can’t swim’ so I had to save her. I emptied my pockets, took off my jumper and jumped in,” added Maddy. “I’m not a hero, I just knew that she was in trouble and needed help,” Maddy said. Maddy returned the little girl to her mother and said, “I gave her a hug and put my hand on her sister’s back and told her it’s okay.” Maddy felt bad because she couldn’t locate the bike but she was able to retrieve the little girl’s shoes. Maddy’s mother Michelle Boddington couldn’t be prouder of her daughter, “Words can’t describe how proud we are. Maddy rang me at work straight after the incident to tell me what had happened and I couldn’t commend her enough on her ability to realise
someone needed help and didn’t hesitate.” At the time Endah did not know who the young hero was but through social media she was able to make contact with her. “Thank you so much Maddy for your help, you are a hero to us. We will be forever grateful,” said Endah. Ana was really sad and believed that her bike was lost forever in the bottom of the lake. Emily Steuart and her partner Wes Boyle thought otherwise and decided they would attempt to recover it from the water.
Pictured: Maddy Boddington with 5 year old Ana Chilcott
“We waited until Wes got home from work and went down to the lake in the dark with a lure retriever and a garden hoe. Endah had sent me a photo of the approximate area of where she thought the bike was. We felt around in the water until Wes found it and we pulled it out. The boys were extremely happy that we found the bike so we decided to go for a walk to deliver the bike home,” said Emily. Endah has been overwhelmed by the community response, “Words can’t describe how I’m feeling now. So much kindness in this community, I couldn’t ask for a better place to live.” Pictured: The Boyle Brothers with the recovered bike