Awards
The state visit of President of Indonesia, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, meant that he could honour the deceased by presenting and placing on the casket of each his country's highest honour, the Medal of Valour. The two survivors were awarded with the honour at a later time.
The Indonesian award highlighted a problem of similar honours by the Australian Government, as the servicemen and women had been part of a humanitarian operation at the time of the incident, not a military one. This was overcome by changing the circumstances for the award of the Humanitarian Overseas Service Medal, so that all who served in the Indonesian humanitarian mission would be eligible, including the nine deceased and two survivors.
On 17 March 2008, the actions of former Leading Seaman Warburton's were recognised with Australia's second highest bravery award, the Star of Courage. The Minister for Defence, the Hon. Joel Fitzgibbon MP, said that Shane Warburton’s actions in saving a colleague while facing immense personal danger was a significant act of heroism worthy of such recognition. The Minister said his selfless act was particularly noteworthy given he himself was seriously injured in the accident.
On 26 May 2009, four Indonesian men - Benar Giawa, Adiziduhu Harefa, Motani Harefa and Seti Eli Ndruru - were awarded the Bravery Medal at the Australian Embassy in Jakarta, for their role in rescuing the survivors of Shark 02. Together, they carried the men to safety away from the crash site, made the Australians comfortable and provided first aid.
Read more about this topic: 2005 Nias Island WS-61 Sea King Crash