On the afternoon of November 20, 2019, John Kenny and his younger brother got on their regular North Sydney school bus, heading home after school sports training.

Little did he know, however, the journey would be far from normal.

John and his brother were travelling on the bus when it was involved in a minor collision with a car. Following the incident, the driver of the vehicle exited the car and started verbally abusing the bus driver.

The angry driver then entered the bus after one of the students yelled out to him, pacing up and down the aisle and aggressively searching for the student who spoke up.

John then stood up from his seat and bravely attempted to reason with the angry and aggressive driver. The man punched John in the face, making him fall and hit his head, causing injury.

In the time that followed, the driver continued to yell at John and his brother, before eventually getting off the bus and leaving the other students unscathed. John was one of a handful of 15-year-old students on the bus while the majority, including John’s brother, were only 12.

For his bravery and quick-thinking in the face of danger, John is commended in the Australian Bravery Decorations List Wattle Day 2025, for his actions standing up to an aggressive male threatening students.

He says the recognition was “totally unexpected”.

“I never thought that a split-second decision that I made on a school bus when I was 15 years old would ever lead to something like this,” he said.

“More than anything, I am just glad that nobody else got hurt. There were a lot of really young, scared boys there on that day, and I am pleased with myself that I had the guts to do something about it.

“This incident began a pretty turbulent time for me, and I am really grateful to have this recognition as a kind of bookend to that chapter of my life.”

The Australian Bravery Decorations List Wattle Day 2025 announcement contained 24 decorations for 37 people. 

They included:

• 6 Bravery Medals
• 14 Commendation for Brave Conduct
• 4 Group Bravery Citations