It was hugs central at Quindalup, outstretched arms of survivors and rescuers embracing each other and celebrating WA’s feel-good story of the year.

In the middle of it all was 13-year-old Austin Appelbee, whose heroics in rough seas are developing into a global story, with more people learning of his epic role in saving his mum and two younger siblings.

The Appelbee family were back in the South West yesterday to say thanks to the other heroes from the dramatic events — marine rescuers, paramedics and police officers.

Austin — again — played down his own Herculean efforts on January 30 to praise the efforts of his brother Beau, 12, and eight-year-old sister Grace on January 30, when they were cast adrift with his mum on paddleboards in big swell about 4km from shore.

“These tough nuts (Beau and Grace), they have been great staying on the paddle boards, looking after Mum and looking after each other,” Austin said.

Mum Joanna Applebee thanked the volunteer rescuers who “went out of their way” to save the family in a moment “all hope had been lost”.

She and her three kids had been dragged out to sea and were struggling. With the situation getting worse she made the heart-wrenching decision to ask Austin to make his way back to shore to save them all.

Five weeks on, Austin’s father, Justin Applebee, who was on land at the time, said he was still in disbelief at the “mental fortitude” Austin showed to save his family, paddling some of the way, and swimming the rest.

“He knew what he was up against, how far he was out — he just found a way to do it and then get back to shore,” he said.

The incredibly frightening experience still lingered for Beau, who said it felt emotional to be there yesterday.

“Me and my Mum can’t sleep properly because of what happened,” he said. “I am trying to fix it, but it is hard. I have no words to express how happy I am to be here today.

“I am thankful for my brother to swim, and my sister to keep me calm.

“I would have freaked out if she wasn’t on. If I panicked, she would have panicked and it would have went worse.”

Commander of Nauraliste Volunteer Marine Rescue Paul Bresland said it felt “absolutely brilliant” to see the family all smiling and happy.

That treacherous night, time had been critical for the rescuers, with evening drawing in.

Out in the ocean Joanne had been trying to keep Beau and Grace entertained by singing and making jokes, but morale began to slip as night fell.

“As it got darker I thought, ‘there’s no one coming to save us’,” she recalled. “We were cold, we were shaking, and it was pretty terrifying for a while, then I lost my glasses, so I couldn’t see.”

What she didn’t know was that Austin had made it to shore and had raised the alarm.

Mr Bresland, who coordinated the rescue, said a lot of local knowledge was utilised to pull it off.

“Water police gave us a search pattern and the chopper spotted the family in the water,” he said.

One of the first responders, Peter Taylor of Busselton Marine Rescue, said the conditions were not good when they started their search.

“Once we got the call from the helicopter, they actually directed us because we couldn’t see anything,” he recalled. “Water Police did a fantastic job, and also the ambulance paramedics.”

Senior Constable Andy McDonnell said it fell on his shoulders to ensure the Applebee family was safe as the sun was setting.

“It was not lost on any of us at the time, the criticalness of coordinating that rescue,” he said.

“It is such a testament to the community . . . that coordinated effort to come together seamlessly as a result of training that we do together, to make sure this had such a successful outcome.”

Mr Applebee expressed pride in his family for their actions in the worst of circumstances.

“None of them panicked and they held it together,” he said.

Austin said he wouldn’t be going paddle-boarding for a while.

“Maybe later I might have a quick dip,” he said. “It’s great to be back and it’s nice to see all these people.

“Thank you for saving my family. All I really did was raise the alarm. It’s nice being called a hero but these guys over here are the real heroes.”

SOURCE: https://7news.com.au/news/appelbee-family-reunited-with-the-rescuers-police-officers-and-paramedics-a-month-after-the-miracle-rescue-c-21866080