Two men who saved a former school teacher and Bermuda Regiment bandmaster from drowning were honoured for their bravery at the weekend.

Captain Horace Gibbons was in Mullet?s Bay, St. George?s on January 9 when he fell out of the punt he was using to get to his boat which is moored in the bay.

A combination of windy weather and the heavy clothing he was wearing left Captain Gibbons thrashing in the cold water and shouting for help.

He had also developed a painful cramp which made it impossible to swim to shore.

Detroy Smith and Gilbert Grimes saw him from the hillside home where they were working and immediately came to assistance once he began shouting for help. ?They saw me capsize and thought I was okay, but 20 minutes later they could hear me shouting for hell,? he said.

?They drove down on their motorbikes and jumped right into the water and helped me swim ashore.?

Captain Gibbons, who regularly fishes in the area, said he was grateful to the young men who saved his life.

Colonel Richard Gorham presented Detroy Smith and Gilbert Grimes with a plaque and certificate of appreciation on behalf of the Royal Artillery Association (RAA).

Captain Gibbons, 86, was also prsented with a $500 cheque from the RAA to take his wife out to dinner.

Politicians who attended the ceremony included former Premier Jennifer Smith, UBP Senators Kenny Bascome and Kim Swan and St. David?s MP Suzanne Roberts Holshouser. Col. Eddie Lamb of the Regiment and St. George?s Mayor E. Michael Jones were also on hand.