On a beautiful Saturday morning beside Albert Park Lake, Anne was driving by when something caught her attention.

"I'd seen that there was someone kinda on the road and just something inside me just told me to pull over and see if I could help," Anne recalls.

That decision would change a life.

When Anne arrived at the scene, she found a cyclist, Chris, lying beside his bike. What initially appeared to be a cycling accident quickly revealed itself to be something far more serious.

Chris was unresponsive and not breathing.

Drawing on CPR training she had completed with St John Ambulance Victoria just six weeks earlier, Anne immediately sprang into action.

"I checked for response and there was no response," she said. "That's when I decided to start CPR and was chest compressing."

Without hesitation, Anne took control of the situation. She directed nearby bystanders, cleared obstacles that could interfere with treatment, and ensured Triple Zero (000) had been called. As precious minutes passed, she continued chest compressions while coordinating those around her.

"At that moment I just don't know what was going through my mind," Anne said. "It was like there was something that needed to be done and it was just like I had stepped into the action."

As Chris drifted in and out of consciousness, Anne stayed focused.

"Throughout the episode, Chris came and went a couple of times and I would be shouting, 'Right, big breaths, that's it, you've got it, you've got it.'"

For Chris, the moments leading up to the incident remain a mystery.

"I don't recall feeling unwell," he said. "I must have lost consciousness somewhere along the lakeside trail there and I have no further recollection after that."

When paramedics arrived, they took over care, using a defibrillator and advanced life support to stabilise Chris before transporting him to hospital.

Doctors later discovered Chris had suffered a cardiac arrest caused by a blocked artery. He underwent emergency surgery and, remarkably, less than 24 hours later, he was awake. Just a week after the incident, he was discharged from hospital and began his rehabilitation journey.

Looking back, Chris remains deeply grateful to the stranger who stopped to help him.

"I'm just so grateful to be able to be here today and to have been able to meet Anne and be with her to celebrate such a fantastic recognition of her," he said.

With a smile, he added, "I had a few broken ribs by that point, so they must have trained Anne very, very well."

Months later, Chris joined Anne at the St John Ambulance Victoria First Aid Champion Awards, where she was recognised as one of nine First Aid Champions for her lifesaving actions.

The event also reunited Anne with a familiar face: Erin Le Souf, the St John trainer who had delivered her CPR training just weeks before Chris's cardiac arrest.

For Anne, reconnecting with Erin was a reminder of how quickly first aid skills can be called upon, and the importance of being prepared for the unexpected.

Reflecting on the experience, Anne is quick to credit her training for giving her the confidence to act when every second counted.

"I'm very grateful for the course and all the training that I've had because you never really know the minute that you're going to need to use it," she said.

"I've sat in many courses and thought, 'I don't want to be that person', but in the moment, to know that you've got the human instincts to kick in, but also that you've got the training and experience from the courses you've done, shows the importance of it."

"It's not something you expect to happen, that you're going to save someone's life. But this is living proof of how beneficial the course actually is."

For Anne, the experience was especially meaningful.

A breast cancer survivor herself, she understands the value of a second chance.

"One of the things that I'm privileged about is giving Chris a second chance at life," she said. "I'm a breast cancer survivor, so I know what that feels like to have that second chance, and just to know that I've been able to give that to someone else is pretty special."

She also reflects on the instinct that prompted her to stop that day.

"I feel privileged that whatever came across me that day, that I stopped at the roadside to help Chris."

Chris agrees.

"I'm very indebted to Anne for her wonderful service on that day," he said. "So, thank you, Anne, very much."

Anne had often wondered whether she would be able to step forward in a real emergency. When that moment arrived, she didn't hesitate.

Her quick thinking, leadership and CPR skills helped give Chris the chance to return to his family, friends and future.

This shows that first aid training is more than learning a skill. It's gaining the confidence to act when someone's life depends on it.