Paul Chaplin is the only person on the biannual national list to be awarded the Star of Courage, Australia's second-highest bravery honour.

The Star of Courage recognises "acts of conspicuous courage in circumstances of great peril".

Don Romey is among only 17 people who will receive the Australian Bravery Medal, for an act of bravery "in hazardous circumstances".

"Australian Bravery Awards recognise courage and sacrifice," Governor-General David Hurley said.

"Perhaps most importantly, they recognise people who, in a moment of danger or threat, think of others ahead of their own safety.

"We celebrate their bravery and the example that they set: putting others before self and a willingness to help strangers, the vulnerable and those in danger in the most difficult of times."

There could have been even greater loss of life on February 11, 2009 had McKenzie Hill resident Paul Chaplin not been around.

But Mr Chaplin said his actions on that evening, when a man armed with knives attacked members of his extended family, were simply instinctive.

That day was a Wednesday and Mr Chaplin was at the Harcourt home of his relatives, probably having an after-work drink, he said, as they often did together.

At one point Mr Chaplin's cousin, Cameron Chaplin, went to investigate a person seen entering a farm shed.

Shortly afterwards Cameron ran back, pursued by a man armed with two knives.

That man was Leigh Charter, the father of a young man who was killed in a crash 13 months prior in which Cameron's brother was driving.

Mr Chaplin, then 20, said he was "petrified" and initially fled.

But upon seeing his cousin Cameron in trouble, he ran back to help.

"[It was] probably just that I wanted to stop him doing whatever he was doing to Cameron," he said.

Charter had Cameron pinned to the ground and was attacking him, but Mr Chaplin managed to push the man off his cousin.

Mr Chaplin then ran but tripped, and the attacker lunged at him.

The two grappled, during which Mr Chaplin grabbed one of the knives.

During the struggle, Cameron managed to get one of the knives and hide it under a bush.

Mr Chaplin said Charter got off him when he realised Mr Chaplin was not who he thought he was.

Charter then left the property.

Tragically, Cameron's mother Wendy had already been killed and his father Trevor had been injured.

Cameron and Trevor were hospitalised in Melbourne for their serious injuries, and Mr Chaplin's injury from grabbing the knife required surgery.

Mr Chaplin said he had held up alright in the aftermath of the attack; he was more worried about the impact on Wendy's family.

It was Cameron who nominated Mr Chaplin for the Star of Courage, to recognise his courage that night.

Mr Chaplin expressed some discomfort with the honour, downplaying his response to the frightening incident.

He said his actions on that night 11 years ago were driven by instinct.

"I was just put in that situation and I didn't have a choice," Mr Chaplin said.

Woodvale's Don Romey still bears an unfinished tattoo on his arm that his friend David Paris had started to give him.

It remains a bittersweet reminder of Mr Paris, whose life was cut short in 2014 when his future father-in-law killed him in a fit of misplaced jealousy.

On June 10, 2014, Mr Paris had invited Mr Romey over for dinner in Raywood as he was going through a rough patch.

That evening, Maxwell Pain showed up at the property with a firearm.

Mr Romey said he was about 10 metres behind Mr Paris when Pain shot his friend from a vehicle.

The car began driving away, Mr Romey said, but then it stopped, and he saw the silhouette of the shooter moving towards him.

Mr Romey walked towards the man, who was still holding his firearm, and told him to get back in his car and leave.

"I think my natural instinct was just 'survive, stop it getting any worse, protect'," he said.

Also at the home that night was Mr Paris' partner, their child, and his partner's mother.

Mr Romey grasped the shooter's shoulder and again told him to leave, hoping he would do so and he could help Mr Paris.

Pain did leave, and Mr Romey returned to his friend, performing CPR until paramedics arrived.

But Mr Paris could not be revived.

Mr Romey praised Jess, the triple-0 caller who guided him through CPR, and all emergency responders who had to attend incidents like that he lived through.

Mr Paris was generous, he said, was there for his partner and child, and someone who was "what people should be like".

Mr Romey said he was a little uncomfortable with the Bravery Medal, as he "had no choice" in doing what he did.

"I suppose it doesn't change the fact I miss my mate," he said.