A ‘guardian angel’ came to the rescue of an 82-year-old women who fell into Harrington Sound and was left clinging to the rocks for nearly four hours.

Tammy Hendrickson had stopped at a secluded spot on Harrington Sound Road, near the post office, to do her crochet when she heard a woman calling for help from over the cliff edge.

She looked over the sheer drop and was stunned to see a ‘grey haired women’ up to her waist in water.

Ms Hendrickson, a hospital employee, called 911 and stayed with the pensioner until emergency services arrived and brought the injured woman up to safety.

“She seemed remarkably calm to me, especially as she told me she did not know how to swim and the tide looked to be coming up,” Ms Hendrickson said. “Initially the lady asked me to call some family members but when I could not get through to them I decided I had to call 911.

“She told me she had been in the water for more than three hours when I first spoke to her, but she did not seem particularly worried.

“She did not look to be injured but was completely soaked from having fallen into the sea.

“We talked the whole time as we waited for the emergency services to arrive and I made sure she got into the ambulance safely before I left.”

The 82-year-old woman tumbled into Harrington Sound at around 11am on Friday.

And it was only thanks to a series of fortunate events that Ms Hendrickson stopped close to where she had fallen just before 3pm.

“I had just become a grandmother for the second time on the Friday and I could not concentrate at work so I decided to take the afternoon off,” she said.

“My usual route would take me home through Shelly Bay but I heard there had been a road accident so I went around the Sound.

“That spot by the post office is one of my favourite spots to just sit off and chill and do my crochet.

“So I pulled in on my way home. And it was very fortunate that I did too as that lady could have been in the water even longer.

“The Lord put a lot of things in place that day to make sure I was there. I should have really been at my desk working.”

Police arrived at the scene soon after Ms Hendrickson’s call and descended the cliff into the water to help the pensioner.

They then carried her up on to Middle Road on a stretcher and she was taken to hospital via ambulance.

She remained in hospital until Sunday when she was allowed to go home.

“The lady called me on Monday to say thank you and she called me her guardian angel,” said Ms Hendrickson.

“She says she would like to visit me as well to say thanks in person. So I’m hoping we will meet up again as soon as she feels up to it.”