A prisoner was given a break from life at Westgate yesterday in order to collect a Bermuda Bravery Award from the Governor and his wife at Government House.

Sir John and Lady Vereker presented Gilbert (Tiny) Grimes with a cedar-framed lifesaving award for saving Capt. Horace Gibbons from drowning at Mullet Bay on January 9, 2004.

Mr. Grimes is to be released from prison today but had to be granted special permission ?at the pleasure of Her Majesty? in order to attend yesterday?s ceremony.

?I am never going to go to jail again,? he said at the ceremony for 18 local heroes, nominated by the community for their acts of bravery.

Mr. Grimes served six months in prison for carrying a machete to Court ? that said ?The Peacemaker? on one side and ?RIP, See you when I get there? on the other ? when he appeared for an assault charge, which earned him an additional six weeks in prison.

On the day of the rescue, however, Mr. Grimes responded to screams for help from a man struggling in the water.

?At the dock I saw a guy going underneath so I jumped in,? he said.

?I tried to hold onto him with one hand and untangle the rope with the other. The rope was all around his crotch and his armpits.

?He was getting tired because he had been in the water 20 minutes trying to untangle himself.?

Mr. Grimes was modest about his lifesaving act, however.

?Anyone would have done that, who was there,? he said. ?I was just in the right place at the right time.?

Capt. Gibbons ? who taught Mr. Grimes music at St. George?s Secondary School ? said: ?If he was not there, I would have drowned. The water was so cold. I was wearing so many clothes.?

Detroy Smith also received a lifesaving award for helping to pull Capt. Gibbons to safety.

Mr. Smith said that he was pleased to receive the award.

?I am glad I could help in the community by saving a life,? he said.

Other heroes receiving awards yesterday included fireman Troy Brimmer, who gave the kiss of life to four-year-old Mikus Ming at Shelly Bay this summer while off duty.

Six lifeguards were also honoured for their lifesaving skills.

Four ? Alistair Jack, Darren Woods, Jamie Pedro and Simieon Massey ? saved 115 swimmers between August 30 and September 2, 2004 at Horseshoe Beach during unusually rough seas.

Mr. Jack said one rescue was particularly difficult.

?There was this mentally handicapped man who was big and all muscle and when I tried to help him, he kept thrashing around,? he said.

?I had to pin him to myself. I got hit and shoved. But it is all part of the job.?

James Adams and Zara Ward were also honoured for their work as lifeguards.

A 19-year-old Belco worker said he ?could not sleep? when he first found out that he was going to get an award.

?I questioned myself, ?do I really deserve this when all I did was react??? Daren Vickers said yesterday.

After an accidental explosion at a Belco substation on January 19, 2003, Mr. Vickers tried to put out the smouldering clothes of his co-worker with his hands ? an action which earned him a bravery award.

?I was standing right next to (Malik Blyden) at the door when all I saw was a flash and a lot of smoke and fire... I heard him screaming,? he said. ?I looked down and his clothes were on fire... I took off my shirt and put out the flames with my hands. But it burned them.?

Tragically, Mr. Blyden died a week later.

Six Fire Service personnel ? Howard Caisey, Sgt. Wendell Simmons, Michael Madeiros, Carl Govia, Lionel Furbert and Leroy Maxwell ? were honoured for their attempted rescue of several Police officers and a civilian who were trapped on the Causeway during Hurricane Fabian on September 5, 2003.

Police Officers Ralph Lindo and Joey McRonald were also honoured yesterday for saving the life of Pierre Binns, who had fallen overboard near the flagpole on July 28, 2003.

Governor Sir John Vereker praised the actions of all those honoured yesterday.

?What we see this afternoon is, sadly, proof that bravery is not the same as saving lives,? he said. ?Some of these people did save lives, others were not successful. But their endeavour was wonderful. That kind of endeavour is what makes society strong.?