By Aaron Cordy
A TWIST of fate is when someone learns first aid to become a lifeguard, only to end up working in construction, then saving a life while on a job site. That is the strange story of how Colbinabbin teen, Ned Morgan (19), saved the life of Shepparton resident John Head last year.
In November 2024, Ned Morgan was working on a home renovation in Shepparton when John’s wife Chris, began frantically calling for help as John had collapsed from cardiac arrest. With no hesitation, Ned, who had recently completed a CPR course, rushed in, assessed the situation, and began lifesaving CPR.
Ned worked on John for almost 10 minutes whilst on the phone to 000, before the ambulance came, on what was a traumatic but lucky day for all involved.
“It’s hard to explain. It’s a wild day and a wild hour or so after it. It was weird, I don’t even know what to say about it,” said a humble Ned.
“It took me a couple of weeks to process what happened, to get over it a bit. I feel like if he hadn’t made it, it would’ve been a lot worse. I got lucky that he was fine. It was confronting, but then I found out he was going to make it, it got easier.”
It is believed that a person giving CPR has four minutes to get oxygen to the brain of the collapsed person, and the survival rate of a person outside of a hospital is under 10 per cent.
Three days in a coma and eight broken ribs for John, the stressful time felt by his family was not his experience.
“I wasn’t aware how serious it was until weeks later when it was explained to me exactly what had happened. It was very traumatic for my wife and for my family, but to have somebody there that was confident enough to jump in when needed and take control of the situation, a 19-year-old kid from Colbinabbin. It is a debt that I’ll owe him for life,” said John.
John isn’t the only one who recognised the amazing achievement of the remarkable young man. Ned was one of 10 people who received the St John Ambulance Victoria 2025 First Aid Champion Award at a ceremony at Marvel Stadium on Tuesday, August 12. Ned was awarded the First Aid Champion Award.
“It was an honour to get the Champion Award. The day and the interview was really good, and it was good that John went as well. It was a great day,” said Ned.
“Everyone should do first aid training, I reckon. Anyone can do it, and everyone should do it. It’s one of the easiest things you can do that can have a massive impact on other people’s lives. It is important to and it is important to learn how to do it properly.”
