Scott Reardon and his older brother, Phillip, were helping on the farm, 35 kilometres outside of Temora, when Mr Reardon’s life changed forever.

The then 12-year-old’s shoelace got caught in a tractor take off shaft.

The next thing Mr Reardon remembers is waking up with his leg amputated at the knee.

His brother, then 16, was crucial in Mr Reardon getting help.

They met the ambulance en route to the Temora Hospital and Mr Reardon was stabilised on the side of the road.

Snowy Hydro SouthCare helicopter airlifted him to hospital in Canberra.

It was a series of quick reactions and fast access to medical professionals that Mr Reardon credits his survival to.

“To get first-class medical help fast is a huge part of me being here,” he said.

“They were the key points that helped me to survive.”

Mr Reardon spent months recovering and developed a new dream – to become a para-athlete at the Paralympic Games.

He has since represented Australia in water skiing and competed in the IPC Athletics World Championships and won silver at London 2012 Paralympic Games.

His sights are now firmly set on the Rio Paralympic Games in September. 

But it is the work he is doing off the track that he is gaining recognition for.

It was not until years later that Mr Reardon realised the role Snowy Hydro SouthCare played in his survival.

Even now, any time he hears the helicopter fly over his home or training ground at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra, he thinks of that day.

“It probably wasn’t until 2005 that I accepted they were a big part of what had happened,” he said.

Mr Reardon has paired with LIFE (Living intensionally for Excellence) to design a T-shirt dedicated to Snowy Hydro SouthCare.

The shirt was launched on Tuesday and depicts a helicopter spanning from the front of the shirt around the ribs to the back.

He is hoping the shirts will not only raise vital funds for the service but start a conversation within the community about the vital work they do.

The shirts are available here.