Mr Lacey suffered a cardiac arrest in December and it was the skills of his neighbours that kept him alive until paramedics arrived to assist.

He and his wife Ros live in Waanyarra, about 30km from Maryborough. Their nearest neighbour is about one kilometre away.

“We were sitting inside watching TV and he just collapsed beside me,” Mrs Lacey said.

“I rang my neighbour Sue, who is a nurse educator and she was here in two minutes.

“Then I rang 000 and my other neighbour, Val, arrived. The two gave Denis CPR until the ambulance arrived and took over.”

Once he was stable, Mr Lacey was transferred to Melbourne.

Mrs Lacey said knowing your neighbours was the most important part of living in an isolated area. 

“It’s good to know we can call on them, when we need them. We are a close group. We’re there for them and they are there for us,” she said.

Understandably, Mr Lacey doesn’t remember anything of the heart attack.

“There was no indication of what was going to happen,” he said.

Mr Lacey said people were astounded he survived.

“Even the local doctor said it was a miracle. Sue and Val came down here so quick when it happened,” he said.

The Laceys had a reunion yesterday with the paramedics and everyone who helped Mr Lacey.

“The ambos don’t meet a lot of people who survived something like this,” he said.

“The reunion went really well and I am coping well since coming home.”

Mr and Mrs Lacey said it was important that everyone new their CPR.

“Knowing just the basics make a big difference,” Mrs Lacey said. 

MICA paramedic Tony McQueen, who was one of the paramedics on the scene, said if a story like this didn’t highlight the importance of knowing CPR, nothing will.

“The bottom line is if his neighbours didn’t initiate CPR and it wasn’t recognised early, then he wouldn't be here,” Mr McQueen said.

“Where they are out in middle of nowhere, if someone has cardiac and doesn’t have CPR or an ambulance, there is no hope. It’s not just knowning CPR, it’s knowing good, effective CPR.”