Amos' courage earns bravery award

Amos Mills is the grandson of Greg and Audrey Cannon and son of Christine Mills (nee Cannon). 

He was doing door-to-door sales in Kelso in 2010 when he and his colleague saw smoke billowing from a home in Greville Place. 

They went to see if they could help – never imagining what was about to unfold.

His colleague Kristie Clayton described the event to Bathurst’s Western Advocate last week.

“A little boy ran past and started yelling at us his sisters were still inside,” she said.

“We asked him where they were and he said ‘they are asleep in the bedroom’.”

There were 11 members of the family sleeping in the home when the fire broke out in the loungeroom. 

Nine were able to escape and gathered outside – then realised two were still trapped inside.

The passers-by and neighbours smashed through a wall and removed insulation to access the house.

Mr Mills was lifted into the smoke-filled bedroom.

He felt around in the dark until he found one child, unconscious, and carried her out to his colleague who started CPR. 

Amos returned to the room to search for the second child.

Both children survived thanks to their actions. 

Amos’s mother Christine, who grew up in Forbes, said she was at work in Sydney that afternoon when she found out.

“He called me from hospital,” she said.

“He had spent the day in hospital, suffering from smoke inhalation.”

Christine and the whole family are incredibly proud of Amos.

“He had no training in fire fighting or SES and was wearing no protective clothing, just his sales uniform,” she said.

“I’m really proud of him.” 

Mr Mills was one of 78 people given Australian Bravery Awards last week. 

Former Parkes man, Darren Flanagan, has also been given a Group Bravery Citation for his role in helping rescue miners at the Beaconsfield mine in Tasmania in 2006.

Bathurst man, David White was honoured for rescuing a woman from a burning car following a car accident in the Southern Highlands in 2012.