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Journalism of Courage
The 19-month-old son of a firefighter who was killed in Australia’s bushfire received an award honouring his father’s bravery posthumously on Thursday during the funeral services, reported CNN.
The award was received by Harvey Keaton, the young son of Geoffrey Keaton who lost his life battling the bushfire in Australia.
Dressed in a firefighter’s outfit and with a pacifier in his mouth, the toddler received the medal from New South Wales (NSW) Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons.
As per reports, his 32-year-old father and his colleague Andrew O’Dwyer died last month battling the blaze. They were killed after a tree fell on their vehicle, causing it to overturn.
Pictures of Keaton’s funeral were posted by the New South Wales Fire Service on their facebook page. “Today the NSW RFS family farewelled one of their own” read the post. Over a hundred people attended the funeral which was held in western Sydney. Keaton was also given a guard of honour as his hearse arrived.
Many people who came across the fire service’s Facebook post paid tribute to Keaton and to all the others who lost their lives battling the blaze and serving the country. Take a look at some of the reaction here:
Since September, a total of 18 people have lost their lives to the blaze. More than 5.25 million hectares (13 million acres) of land has been burnt in the fire. Almost 1,500 homes have been destroyed in NSW state alone.
