Three Queensland Police Service (QPS) officers and a Torres Strait Island Police Liaison Officer (TSIPLO) have been recognised for their extraordinary courage and selfless actions, at the Royal Humane Society of Australasia (RHSA) Queensland Bravery Award Ceremony at Queensland Government House.
The recipients were acknowledged for their acts of bravery in life-threatening circumstances, where they placed themselves at significant personal risk to protect and save the lives of others.
Acting Commissioner of Police Brett Pointing congratulated the QPS members on the significant honour.
"These awards not only reflect the courage, professionalism and commitment of these recipients' actions, but also the work our people do each day for their communities," Acting Commissioner Pointing said.
Queensland Governor Dr Jeannette Young AC PSM presented the RHSA bravery awards in front of the recipients' family, colleagues and distinguished guests.
Senior Constable Karyn Hart was awarded the Silver Medal for her courageous intervention during a violent disturbance at Dakabin in 2020, where she helped save a woman from harm, receiving a Queensland Police Valour Medal in 2021.
Alongside others, she helped the injured woman to safety until police arrived, helping to protect her from a man who was threatening violence.
Meanwhile, TSIPLO Nelson Gibuma was presented the Bronze Medal in recognition of his bravery during several incidents in 2023.
In one such incident, TSIPLO Gibuma was off duty when he came across a juvenile male using a metal bar to inflict damage to community property. Fearing for the safety of others, he intervened and de-escalated the situation, not once but twice.
On a separate occasion, he demonstrated exceptional dedication in a high-risk situation involving the same young man who was in distress. He acted immediately to help the individual, used calm and effective negotiation to de-escalate the situation and provided first aid.
His actions were recognised with a Queensland Police Bravery Medal this year.
Having served as a TSIPLO for five years, he is one of two stationed on Boigu Island, the most northern Torres Strait Island, located 150km north of Thursday Island, and 9km south of Papua New Guinea.
"As a PLO I'm wanting to make a difference to my community, to be a role model, so this award means a lot to me and also knowing that I've helped to turn around this young man's life, is very satisfying,'' TSIPLO Gibuma said.
"The offender was armed with weapons and was threatening others. I used my cultural knowledge and family ties to verbally disarm him and diffuse the situation."
Senior Constable Matthew Clark and Senior Constable Harrison Meier also received Certificates of Merit for risking their lives to rescue a woman from a burning building at Buderim in 2023.
The duo had previously been awarded Queensland Police Bravery Medals in 2024 for the same incident.
"Police deal with dangerous and critical situations on a daily basis, so it's good to get this level of recognition for the work that we do. It also helps the general public to understand that the majority of our work is assisting people in genuine need of help,'' Senior Constable Meier said.
"We didn't think about our own safety – another human being was in need of our help, and we happened to be there at the right time, so we went into the burning house to help save her life.''
The RHSA bravery recognition highlights not only the individual actions of recipients, but also the deep sense of duty that underpins QPS members' dedication to community service throughout the state.
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