Benjamin Hayllar, Liam Mataira, and Tama McKenzie have done themselves, their parents, their school and their community proud.
The three Hastings Boys' High School students stopped two men from snatching a 12-year-old girl in the city last month.
It was a combined act of selfless bravery which rescued a young girl from an
extremely menacing situation.
The Hastings Boys' students saw what was happening and knew it was not right.
Two large men were attempting to coerce and grab the girl as she walked toward Hastings Intermediate along Lyndon Road.
The boys could have done a number of things: They could have ignored what was happening; they could have run for help from someone else.
Instead, they stood their ground and told the girl to run while they stayed behind to ward off her attackers.
Yesterday, they were awarded special certificates by the police for their heroics.
In the words of Police Area Commander Inspector Dean Clifford: "They saw something and they did something - that's exactly what we want from all members of our community. They prevented a serious act from occurring, their actions ensured the young girl's safety."
A remarkable aspect to this saga is that in the case of Benjamin's family, this is the second time the same police award has been given.
Benjamin's 16-year-old sister received the same award from police when she was just 12 for speaking out against a man who she saw hitting his daughter.
"We are stoked," says Ben's mother Georgina Kupa, and rightly so.
As she tells Hawke's Bay Today, many people would have walked right by that nasty incident and not stopped. Benjamin and his mates did something about it.
Our thanks to the boys for their actions and to the police for recognising our local heroes. And it was a nice touch by Hastings mayor Lawrence Yule, giving each of the boys an iPod.
