Looking out over the still, reflective waters of Gungahlin's Yerrabi Pond, it's hard to believe Neil Maher saved two children from drowning from just downstream almost four years ago.
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For his efforts Mr Maher has received a commendation for brave conduct as part of the Australian Bravery Awards.
"It was a bit out of the blue to get the letter … it's a pleasant surprise," he said.
When he heard screams and squeals while walking along the pond's shores with his daughter Tianna near their home on the fateful Friday afternoon in 2012, he initially thought it was kids playing.
But it didn't take him long to realise the screams were cries for help and he soon noticed why.
After days of rain, icy water was gushing over the pond's spillway, and following the gaze of the animated children he saw the unthinkable.
"I realised I could see a head bobbing out in the middle," he said.
Instinct immediately kicked in for the off-duty firefighter and he ran to the edge of the pond and swam out to the struggling child.
"I grabbed who I later found out was Emily and started to tow her back in and I remember thinking at the time 'Gee you're heavy' and I said 'Can you kick a little bit'," he said.
It wasn't until he reached the shallow part of the pond that he realised the then 12-year-old Emily de Gier was clinging to her friend 13-year-old Zartash Sarwar.
"She had her by the hair and when I lifted [Zartash] up she was blue and her eyes had rolled back in her head," Mr Maher said.
He immediately began CPR and lost track of how long he spent attempting to revive her before he was joined by plainclothes police officer Paul Reynolds who was patrolling nearby.
"Periodically we'd check, no pulse, we'd keep going then she started to vomit … and finally we got a pulse," he said.
"It was round about that time that the ambulance pulled up as well … they took her and Emily away, even Emily had taken in a fair bit of water but she did a fantastic job … she kept hold of her the whole time and keep herself afloat."
Mr Maher remains humble about his own part in saving the girls – he puts it all down to luck.
"It was just a series of lucky events, she was lucky her friend held on to her, I just did it," he said.
"I think I just went into work mode. I don't think I did anything special that someone with my training would not have done."
The incident remains one of the most memorable for Mr Maher despite a 30-year career as a firefighter.
"You think about it afterwards, fortunately it had a good ending," he said.
"[The water] was well up over the bike path and it was pretty swift, it was flowing out into the centre of the pond, in the 13 years we've lived here I've only seen it like that a handful of times."
Mr Maher had the opportunity to meet Zartash and her family several months after he pulled her from the pond, and has since bumped into the family at the shops.
"In my line of work … you don't often get follow-up … so that was kind of nice," he said.
"There's not much you can say … I was with my daughter at Big W and [Zartash's mother] come up and said 'Hello'… then she looked at Tianna ... and she just grabbed her and hugged and hugged and hugged her."
