Torquay resident Rod Patterson has been recognised for his courage during the 2018 Bourke Street terror attack as part of the Australian Bravery Decorations this week.
Governor-General Sam Mostyn announced the decorations on Tuesday, with Mr Patterson one of the six Australians awarded the Bravery Medal for acts of bravery in hazardous circumstances.
Mr Patterson, 63, was on Bourke Street shopping with his wife on November 9, 2018 when he heard an explosion. Turning, he saw a Holden Rodeo ute on fire.
Having spent 18 years as a professional firefighter, Mr Patterson gave no thought to his own safety, rushing to the burning vehicle to help anyone trapped inside.
“I had the sole purpose of helping; I wasn’t in fear of the fire, I’d been in that situation many times before,” he said.
When he reached the vehicle Mr Patterson saw the vehicle was empty. As he knelt to check underneath the burning ute the vehicle’s driver, Hassan Khalif Shire Ali, rushed toward him with a knife and stabbed Mr Patterson in the head, inflicting a 14-inch wound and severing a major artery.
Shire Ali was ultimately shot and restrained by police, later dying in hospital, but not before killing well-known restaurateur Sisto Malaspina and wounding another person.
Mr Patterson said the award gave rise to “mixed emotions”, as that day in 2018 had left permanent mental scars.
“Physically I’m okay, but mentally, there’s always something that’s triggering it,” he said.
“My wife (Maree) is my hero. She saw it all, together we watched Sisto die. We said goodbye to each other that day because we both thought I was going to die.
“Since then, because of my mental health I haven’t been able to handle any stressful pressure, so she’s had to deal with it all. She’s going through her own trauma, yet going through my burden as well.
“It’s changed our lives forever, I’m afraid.”
