Woman discovers student hero who saved her from fire in 1984 was young Tony Abbott
After three decades searching for the man who rescued her entire family from a horrific house fire, a Sydney woman believes the courageous individual she needs to thank is former prime minister Tony Abbott.
Sky Carr was just four years old when she was woken by her sister Lizzy, five, to flames engulfing their family home on Mansfield Street in Rozelle, in Sydney's inner west, in August, 1984.
The terrified children were forced to slap their unconsious parents awake as smoke filled their rooms, but then had no way to escape until a quick-thinking university student drinking at the neighbouring pub sprung into action.
Ms Carr said the student smashed his way into the house with his bare hands to allow the family-of-four to climb to safety, just seconds before the entire structure collapsed.
After spending 30 years desperately searching, it was not until Christmas last year the mother-of-two said she could finally put a name to their rescuer - Mr Abbott.
"I'm alive because of him," she told Yahoo!7 News.
Ms Carr said her step-father, Robert James, had accidentally given her the wrong name to the neighbouring pub before he died, leaving her searching in all the wrong places.
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But last December, she learned the pub was The Bald Rock Hotel in Balmain and when searching for more information found excerpts from Tony Abbott's biography.
In it, the Member for Warringah and volunteer fire-fighter described rescuing children from the burning house, saying he "did what needed to be done."
Ms Carr, now 37, said Mr Abbott was extremely calm when hearing the young girl's screaming from inside the burning house.
"Out of nowhere a man came to our window, calm as can be, he said: 'Oh boy, we need to get you guys out, and fast'," she said.
Speaking to Yahoo!7 News, Mr Abbott said his recollection of the event was almost identical to Ms Carr's and knew he had to help after finding the kids "at a barred side window trying to get out".
"The bars were immovable so I went round the back, found a bit of pipe, broke a glass door, called the kids and they all got out that way."
"I was just one of a number of people who noticed a problem developing and tried to do something about it."
Ms Carr was taken to Balmain Hospital in an ambulance after a chunk of burning debris struck her neck, leaving a burn.
In the chaos, she said the university student had slipped away from the scene with his friends before the family had a chance to thank him.
Mr Abbott said he went back to the pub for a well-earned drink after the rescue.
"Along with the other rescuers, I went back into the pub where the next beer was especially welcome!" he said.
Ms Carr said her family will forever be thankful for Mr Abbott's actions that night.
"If he had not been so quick thinking, and done what he done, I do believe I would not be here right now telling this story,' she said.
"We all would have perished that night, we would have gone down with the house."
