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Lyndsey Holt, Lewis Eastment and Frank Holt helped in the rescue
A heroic postwoman helped in the rescue of a 71-year-old Australian holidaymaker when he fell into a rapidly-running stretch of water at a popular beauty spot near Invermoriston.
The man was eventually rescued this afternoon in an operation involving 21 firefighters from Fort Augustus, Inverness and Fort William plus paramedics.
But first on the scene were Lyndsey Holt and her father, Frank Holt, who runs Glenmoriston Stores, who rushed to Invermoriston Waterfall when the holidaymaker’s wife ran in yesterday afternoon, seeking help.
They discovered the man clinging to a rock, having travelled a distance along the river.
Ms Holt (30) managed to get a rope to him which he wrapped around himself while the other end was tied to a tree. She then remained close to the man, thought to be called Peter, striking up a rapport until the emergency services arrived.
“I was down there talking to him and telling him to hang on but I couldn’t get any further,” she said.
“He was quite calm in himself and told him he had two sons and two daughters and few grandchildren.”
Her mother, Irene Holt (55), who remained at the shop, praised her daughter’s actions. “She was very brave,” she said.
“But that’s her - she always goes above and beyond the call of duty. The man had lucky escape. If the river had been up a bit more, he would have got washed down the river because it goes so fast.”
Also joining in the family effort was Mr and Mrs Holt’s grandson, Lewis Eastment (14), on holiday with his relatives, who went to river to help.
After being pulled from the river, in a spot behind the village hall and close to a riverside summer house, the man walked to an ambulance at the scene and was taken to Raigmore Hospital.
It is thought he suffered minor injuries from sliding down the rocks and remaining in the cold water.
The alert was raised at 1.10pm and the man was pulled out of the water about 30 minutes later with emergencies services leaving the scene at 2.38pm.
Scottish Fire and Rescue's incident commander, station manager Derek Wilkie, said: “He had been swept into an area which was very difficult to access and there was a 15 metre sheer drop right beside him. The members of the public should be praised for their initial actions by providing him with a rope.
“Once we got there we made sure the area was safe upstream as well as downstream in case anyone else fell in. Our crew from Fort Augustus and the Water Rescue team were then able to properly secure the man and safely recover him from the water.
“We also contacted Scottish and Southern Energy and asked them if they could control the dam system and prevent as much water being released into the area, which really helped and ensured the water levels did not rise any further.”
He added: “This incident was an excellent example of good partnership working, with assistance from quick thinking members of the public.”
Ms Holt has been a postie for the Invermoriston and Cluanie area for the past four years and was finishing off duties for the day when the drama happened. She lives in Invermoriston and has a daughter Anabelle who will be two on Saturday. It is the first time she has helped in such an emergency.
She explained when the tourist's wife ran up to the shop for help she feared the worst.
"She definitely thought she had lost him," she added.