The dairy farmer doesn't remember much about the accident or his recovery, but he does know he owes a great deal to those who helped with his rescue.

''I feel very lucky,'' Mr Deacon said. ''I couldn't walk for about six weeks, but I'm doing pretty well now and I just wanted to show my appreciation.''

Mr Deacon and his mother Denise got that opportunity yesterday at the Snowy Hydro Southcare helicopter base open day.

The pair drove from Milton in the hope of meeting some of the crew who picked Mr Deacon up from a fire trail and flew him to Canberra Hospital.

''By the time we got the phone call [on the day of the accident] they were already taking him to Canberra,'' Mrs Deacon said.

''We never even knew who picked him up so when we heard this was on we came to have a look, meet them and say thank you.''

By early yesterday afternoon, 5000 people had visited the chopper base and organisers were expecting 10,000 by days' end.

Media and communications manager Kate Van Haalen said yesterday's open day had been the most successful to date.

Most visitors were Canberrans and South Coast residents.

Others were former patients who had been rescued by the chopper.

One man travelled four hours from a town north of Dubbo to thank the crew who rescued him from a trucking accident in 2008.