Brave trio risk lives in rescue

Three St John Ambulance volunteers yesterday relived the frantic hours they spent trying to reach injured ultramarathon runners who were trapped by a bushfire in the Kimberley.

Bonny Rugendyke, Leigh Sonnemann and Angela Hales were presented with bravery awards by Governor Malcolm McCusker for their roles in the September rescue.

The trio drove past spot fires and through inhospitable terrain to reach the badly burnt participants near Kununurra.

They had to scale a steep hill on foot to reach the injured runners who were also dehydrated.

Paramedic Sarel de Koker and Heliworks pilots Nathan Summers and Paul Cripps also received bravery awards.