White Pages Covers Program

Courageous Australians David O'Brien and Ian Gill to feature on Lismore's Yellow Pages® and White Pages®

April 28, 2010

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Each year, locals are featured on the covers of the Yellow Pages® and White Pages® directories in recognition of the contributions they make to their communities. Under the theme Courageous Australians, this year directories producer, Sensis, is recognising courageous people who have gone above and beyond the call of duty to overcome adversity and help others in their time of need.

After receiving nominations from community members for the annual honour, Coffs Harbour residents, David O’Brien and Ian Gill have been selected to appear on the cover of this year’s Lismore directory which is distributed to Ballina, Casino, Coffs Harbour, Grafton, Lismore, Murwillumbah and surrounding areas.

Coffs Harbour SES members David O’Brien and Ian Gill volunteered their assistance during one of the worst floods in recent memory which devastated northern New South Wales in March 2009.

David and Ian were initially called out to attend a motor vehicle accident but when they arrived they found the four-wheel drive a kilometre away at another creek crossing. The vehicle had been swept off the causeway and wedged against a gum tree, trapping the female driver inside.

David and Ian quickly created an improvised harness to try and save the driver amidst rising flood waters. By this stage, the vehicle was only three inches from being completely submerged.  Risking their own lives, they braved the raging torrent in an attempt to save her but a sudden change in current saw them lose their footing, pulling them under the water.

After being retrieved by the support rescue team, David and a local police officer continued with the rescue from a different position. They were eventually able to rescue the woman, within minutes of her drowning.

“It was one of the worst floods I had seen and I remember the strong current of the waters as we were performing the rescue. It was extremely difficult to find a safe way to extract her from the vehicle but we were lucky to eventually do so. To be recognised for this rescue is such an honour. Neither Ian nor I had ever expected to receive such praise, after all, we were just doing our job,” said David.

For their efforts, David and Ian received a Director General’s Commendation for Courage in June 2009, the highest bravery award offered to state emergency volunteers. 

Distribution of  Lismore Yellow Pages® and White Pages® is planned to start on 1 May 2010 and it will take approximately six weeks for the directories to be delivered to all households. 

Sensis encourages residents and businesses to recycle their old directories. In most areas, Yellow Pages® and White Pages® can be recycled as part of normal kerbside recycling services. Visit www.recyclingnearyou.com.au to find out about recycling services in your area.

Did you know? The past three local people who appeared on the Lismore Yellow Pages® and White Pages® cover were:

2009/10: Alstonville resident Scott Trevelyan featured on the Yellow Pages^® and White Pages^® cover under the theme ‘Creative Australians: Inspiring our Communities’. Scott was recognised for his work running fortnightly art classes at Willowbank Studio for those living with an Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) and his role as Brain Injury Support Service Inc (BISSI) president for ABI survivors. 

2008/09: For the ‘Celebrating Australian Flavour’ theme, Sensis selected Donald Recsei for his contribution to the Byron Farmers’ Market and his commitment to promoting sustainable agriculture. 

2007/08: Under the ‘Champions of our Community’ theme, Cheryl Pullen graced the cover for her work as a volunteer with community radio station 99.9 FM Byron Bay spanning over 14 years.