A metal fence picket was being thrust towards an injured elderly man's head when Jovan Jovanov intervened during a violent and bloody attack on the front lawns of Old Parliament House earlier this year.
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Mr Jovanov was on the job as a security officer at the Museum of Australian Democracy when he was alerted to a serious incident and rushed outside one day in January.
He says he was met by loud yells and saw the offender hitting another man, 71, with a stick, as a dog ripped into his flesh.
''Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the attacker charge towards the injured man with a star picket,'' Mr Jovanov said.
''I turned around, grabbed the star picket and I disarmed the attacker.
''The picket would have been just inches away from the injured man's face when I managed to stop it.''
He then armed himself with the picket and a nearby wheelbarrow to fend off the vicious dog.
The attack happened in a matter of seconds, but Mr Jovanov didn't think twice about putting himself in danger.
It was that selflessness that earned Mr Jovanov, of Crace, an Australian Security Valour Medal. He was one of five security guards across the country to receive the award, which recognised outstanding courage in the past year.
Federal MP and former attorney-general Philip Ruddock is patron of the awards and presented Mr Jovanov with his medal at a ceremony last month.
The awards were set up by a group of security professionals to reward excellence in an often-dangerous profession.
Mr Jovanov said he was driven by ''a duty of care'' for the elderly man and ''would do it all over again in a heart beat''.
''All I wanted to do was put a stop to the situation and to help the person in need. It was only later that I realised how serious the incident was.''
The alleged offender was arrested and the victim, from Parkes, was treated in Canberra Hospital for serious wounds to his arms, legs and chest.
A week later, he returned to Old Parliament House to thank Mr Jovanov, and two other security officers who helped, for saving his life.
''It was an overwhelming moment and great to see that he was safe,'' Mr Jovanov said.
''I think it was very lucky that we acted so quickly to diffuse the situation.
''Being thanked personally lifted a lot of the weight off my shoulders.''
His boss, Tom Roche, of SNP Security, said Mr Jovanov showed great courage and the award was well-deserved.
A security officer since 2008, Mr Jovanov wanted to get into the field for a long time.
''I always thought of it as something different and I liked the way it allowed me to be active and meet new people,'' he said. ''As soon as I started, I found it very rewarding.''
He said life had returned to normal after the incident, although ''a lot of people congratulated me and some of the guys called me a hero''.
''I told them to knock it off.
''You just do your job and that's all there is to it.''
