NSW Police honours Broken Hill great-grandmother for helping stop carjacking
Once strangers, Julie Paull and Noni Wilson have formed a close bond. (ABC Broken Hill: Oliver Brown)
In short:
Noni Wilson, Julie Paull, and Tayla Newman have been awarded for preventing a man from stealing a car in Broken Hill.
The man was sentenced to an intensive community corrections order in May.
What's next?
A psychologist says long-term trauma can be caused by such incidents.
When 89-year-old Noni Wilson was being picked up from Broken Hill Base Hospital in October, she was thinking about fighting health issues, not a carjacker.
But when the great-grandmother saw a stranger attempt to steal the car she was in, a primal instinct to survive kicked in.
A combination of her physical blows and sounding the vehicle's horn was enough to deter the offender, before he was removed from the car and later arrested.
Noni Wilson has not let age or injury stop her act of bravery. (ABC Broken Hill: Oliver Brown)
Now, months later, the bravery displayed by Mrs Wilson and two other women who worked to ensure her safety has been formally recognised by local police, as the trauma from the event still lingers.
'A case of fight'
Mrs Wilson was recovering from a broken leg and had been at the hospital for a physiotherapy appointment.
Julie Paull had come to pick her up as part of her job with an aged care organisation that provides transport services.
Mrs Wilson first noticed something was amiss after she was strapped into the car's passenger seat and heard Mrs Paull shouting.
The incident happened in a drop-off zone at the back of the hospital known as "the horseshoe". (ABC Broken Hill: Oliver Brown)
"She was telling me to get out of the car, and I couldn't because it was so much of an effort to get in," Mrs Wilson said.
"The next minute, this person jumped into the car next to me. I didn't realise then that he had the keys and had put them in the ignition.
"[So] I started blowing the horn and I was trying to elbow him out of the car … I couldn't do flight, so it was a case of fight."
The attempted carjacker first attacked Mrs Paull while she was loading Mrs Wilson's walker into the car. (ABC Broken Hill: Oliver Brown)
Despite having been knocked to the ground by the offender and the keys taken off her, 63-year-old Mrs Paull's only thought was the safety of her elderly passenger, so she quickly jumped into action.
"I did speak to [my work] that afternoon and I said: 'You would have been a vehicle down if Noni was not in the front of that car,'" Mrs Paull said.
"I have a 96-year-old mum, and I pictured if that was my mum in that car, that I had to do everything in my power to save that client."
Aboriginal health practitioner Tayla Newman, who was outside the hospital on a break, also stepped in when she heard the commotion, jumping into the driver's seat so the offender could not.
"All I heard was [Noni and Julie] singing out 'help' and I ran over … I felt really scared, [but] I just did what I had to do," Ms Newman said.
Tayla Newman says she instinctively stepped in when she heard calls for help. (ABC Broken Hill: Oliver Brown)
"There was no time to think, it just came naturally.
"[Noni] was so hysterical, and I grabbed her hand and said, 'No, I'm helping you' … she eventually settled down after it happened and apologised, and they were so thankful."
Heroic efforts recognised
With his attempted carjacking thwarted, police arrested the 42-year-old man responsible.
He was later charged with attempting to steal the vehicle, convicted in May, and sentenced to an 11-month intensive community correction order.
Mrs Wilson, Mrs Paull and Ms Newman all expressed gratitude to the police for ensuring the man was brought to justice, but what they did not know at the time was that the feeling was mutual.
The three reunited to receive awards from local police commending their bravery. (Supplied: Andrew Wilson)
The three were invited to an award ceremony for local police last month, where they received certificates of appreciation commending their bravery.
Barrier Police District Acting Superintendent Darren Sly said, typically, community members should avoid directly intervening in a crime in progress.
However, he said the circumstances of this incident were unique and deserved recognition.
"Property [can] be replaced, and we would not recommend trying to put your safety at risk," he said.
Darren Sly says he was impressed with the three women's actions. (Supplied: Barrier Police District)
"But Julie knew Mrs Wilson was locked into the car and couldn't get herself out … they couldn't safely remove themselves, [so] they did what they did, which is commendable.
"You can't fault their actions. They looked out for each other."
Friendship blooms from trauma
Reflecting on the past events and subsequent commendation, Mrs Wilson, who turns 90 this month, said she was filled with pride and was grateful that, despite the circumstances, it had formed a bond between the three.
"I hadn't met Tayla again until [recently], but Julie and I keep in fairly good contact with each other, which has been pretty good," Mrs Wilson said.
Mrs Paull and Mrs Wilson have stayed in regular contact months after the incident. (ABC Broken Hill: Oliver Brown)
Mrs Paull shared Mrs Wilson's sentiment, although she acknowledged she had not emerged from the incident unscathed.
"Physically I'm fine, but mentally it comes up often, [including] night terrors — it hasn't been a real good time," she said.
"If I go somewhere with a family member and they're driving and they get out of the car to go and do something, I won't let them leave that car running or the keys in it, just in case someone opens that door and jumps in."
Kathleen Murray says people should focus on their mental health after a traumatic event. (Supplied: Psychology Link Australia)
Mrs Paull said she had sought professional help to process any long-term psychological trauma, which registered psychologist Kathleen Murray said could occur after such experiences if left untreated.
"Everyone would experience some sort of reaction to [traumatic incidents], but it just depends on how they bounce back," Ms Murray said.
"I would definitely recommend speaking to a psychologist, or someone, because it's important that they're not re-experiencing the incident, because that's what happens.
"Psychologists [are] here to listen, we're not here to judge. You might be able to get some answers and get a lot of tools [to] get you moving and moving forward."