Little lad stands tall in crisis
Four-year-old Ethan Ribeiro was dressed to impress but he only had eyes for one special lady.
The pint-sized heart-throb, who yesterday became the youngest person to receive a St John Ambulance Community Hero Award, kept even WA Governor Malcolm McCusker waiting as he sought out his girl.
"I want to show Tahlia my Lego," he told Mr McCusker.
The Governor, who had just presented Ethan with a Lego boxed set as a special reward for his bravery, inquired further.
"She is very pretty," Ethan replied.
Tahlia James has a special bond with Ethan.
She was the paramedic who took his emergency call and talked him through the crucial steps that may have saved his father's life.
The kindergarten student was the only one home when his father Noel had an unprovoked seizure and collapsed.
Ethan immediately dialled triple-0.
He followed Ms James' instructions to move his father into a safe position, clear his airway and unlock the door for paramedics.
He also used his father's mobile phone to call his mother to tell her to head straight to the hospital because he had already called an ambulance.
Rainda Ribeiro said she had taught her son to call triple-0 but never imagined he would remember it in an emergency.
"He had not only remembered but he was able to stay calm and do all the things he was directed to do," Mrs Ribeiro said.
"My message to parents is to teach your children these things no matter how young they are because you really don't know what they're capable of." Ethan was among nine West Australians recognised with Community Hero Awards at a ceremony at Government House.
Margaret Kew, Rikki Cameron, Rosemarie Tierney, Kurtis Rae, Sav Ferraro, Rohan O'Neill, Tony Leeson and Paul Gaughan were also recognised for their bravery and delivering first aid in life-threatening situations.
