The founder of a Coogee shark bite kit used during the rescue of Leah Stewart has been named the 2027 NSW Young Australian of the Year, following the emergency response to a shark attack at the beach.
Danny Schouten received the state award on Wednesday, 4 November 2026, for developing Community Shark Bite Kits, a project providing emergency bleeding-control supplies at beaches across Australia. One of the kits had been installed at Coogee three months before Stewart was seriously injured while swimming in June.
The emergency involved several rescuers, including an off-duty lifesaver, an emergency physician and lifeguards. Randwick City Council later confirmed that equipment from the recently installed kit had been used during the response.
Coogee Shark Bite Kit Installed Before June Attack
Authorities announced new shark bite response kits at Coogee and Maroubra beaches on 18 March 2026, working with Surfing NSW to make emergency supplies available outside regular lifeguard patrol hours.
On Saturday, 13 June, Stewart was swimming close to shore within the flagged area at Coogee Beach when she was attacked by a shark. Charlie Verco, an off-duty North Bondi volunteer lifesaver who was training on a paddleboard nearby, went to her assistance. He helped bring Stewart towards shore while keeping her head above water, before lifeguards and other responders continued emergency treatment on the beach.
In a statement published after the attack, authorities identified off-duty emergency physician Dr Ian Ferguson as having provided first aid using the recently installed shark bite equipment. Lifeguards Luke Twitchings, Charlie White and Blake Thornton were credited with applying five tourniquets and performing CPR. Coogee Surf Life Saving Club president Ben Heenan was also recognised for helping stabilise Stewart and support the rescue.
Stewart was taken to St Vincent’s Hospital in a critical condition. The authorities’ account did not specify how many of the five tourniquets had been taken from the public kit. The attack prompted precautionary beach closures across Randwick and neighbouring Waverley. Randwick City Council reopened its beaches on 15 June, with roving jet ski patrols and shark surveillance drones operating around Coogee at the time.
Award Follows Expansion Of Emergency Kit Project
Schouten, a teacher from Bonny Hills on the NSW Mid North Coast, developed Community Shark Bite Kits after learning how a friend survived a shark attack when a bystander improvised a tourniquet using a dog lead. The project supplies emergency equipment to assist with severe bleeding before professional medical help arrives. According to the State’s award announcement, the kits had reached more than 330 Australian beaches by November 2026.
Following Stewart’s rescue, a community swim was held at Coogee Beach on 21 June, with organisers reporting more than 1,000 participants. The gathering brought swimmers and surf lifesaving personnel together in support of Stewart and others affected by the attack. Stewart’s family reported on 25 June that she was no longer in a critical condition and had been reunited with her daughter. She later spoke publicly in August about her injuries and continuing recovery. Schouten is among the NSW recipients progressing to the national Australian of the Year awards, scheduled for 25 January 2027 in Canberra.
Published 5-November-2026
