Twenty-three years ago, veteran Newcastle paramedic Mark Gardiner helped save the life of a little boy who nearly drowned in a backyard swimming pool.
That three-year-old child was Lochie Rose. He survived, and for 17 years, did not think too much about the ordeal.
Then he made a string of choices that would lead him to becoming a paramedic himself, tracking down his own ambulance record, and writing a letter of thanks that now sits framed on Mr Gardiner's bookcase.
Then, 23 years after they met for the first time, the two were donning the NSW Ambulance uniform when they reunited by chance while working at John Hunter Hospital recently.
"It's pretty surreal, you sort of don't really know what to say," Mr Rose said.
"I'd always wondered if we'd run into each other just by chance."
Mr Rose was studying to become a paramedic when he tried to track down his own medical records.
He had been told he wandered off at an Australia Day party at Whitebridge in January 2003 before his father found him at the bottom of a backyard swimming pool.
He dragged the little boy to safety and began CPR while paramedics rushed to respond.
Mr Rose's request revealed Mr Gardiner, known to his colleagues as MG, had been one of them. Mr Rose then jumped at the offer to write a letter of thanks.
"I didn't realise that was an option, but as soon as I heard that, I thought yeah, for sure," Mr Rose said.
Mr Gardiner said he had been overjoyed to find out Mr Rose was thriving 17 years after attending the job.
"I was absolutely chuffed when I received that letter ... to have an outcome as favourable as this, it's just made my career," Mr Gardiner said.
"I was over the moon, I'd hoped ... that as a result of our encounter when he was three years old, that had some impact on his career choice."
Mr Rose is now a paramedic at Old Bar and was transferring a patient from Taree to Newcastle one night in June.
As a NSW Ambulance duty operations manager, Mr Gardiner was helping manage crews at John Hunter Hospital.
He noticed Mr Rose's vehicle was on the way in and thought it was a great opportunity to meet him.
"I've hopped out and he's gone 'hello Lochie, I'm Mark'," Mr Rose said.
They took care of the patient then got chatting. They share a love of the job. For Mr Gardiner, that has led to a 36-year career, and for Mr Rose, he hopes to have a long future with NSW Ambulance.
"I absolutely love it. Every day is different, every day brings a sense of challenge, there is no set routine, everything is determined by what is on the other end of the phone," Mr Gardiner said.
Mr Rose said he found purpose in his work. It has made him reflect on what his family went through.
"Growing up, you don't think about it much because you're quite young, and you don't really understand that stuff and the effect it has," he said.
"And now that I have been in the job and go to these sorts of scenes, you think, oh God, how horrible was that for my parents, and you think about Mark and the other paramedics that had to come that day.
"It's definitely given me a lot more understanding, and especially understanding from my parents' perspective and how difficult that would have been."
Mr Gardiner has one more wish.
"If we can work together for one shift before I retire, that would make my career, I think," he said.
"That would be amazing, I'd love something like that. That would be pretty special," Mr Rose replied.
