While Steven Tougher had only been a paramedic for a short time before he died in the line of duty, he has been awarded a posthumous medal in recognition of the service he would have completed.
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At Monday's celebration of life service, NSW Ambulance Commissioner Dominic Morgan described Steven as a "young man of limitless potential, taken too soon".
"Every single one of his colleagues has spoken so positively about his larger-than-life personality, his sense of humour, but also a strong sense of natural justice," he said.
"Last Monday, I wrote to the Governor General of Australia requesting him to consider Steven's eligibility for the award of the National Medal for Service.
"The national medal is awarded to members of uniformed emergency service organisations who have completed 15 years of diligence service when there is a risk to life.
"The Governor General has confirmed recognition of the service Steven would have completed, had he not been struck down in the course of his duties."
Dr Morgan handed Steven's family the medal on behalf of the Governor General, along with other medals from the NSW Ambulance Service.
"This was a life that was given to us for such a short time," Dr Morgan said.
Later in the service, friend and colleague Kate Hannigan, a NSW Paramedic Intern from Steven's graduate class in 2022, gave a glimpse into the character he was in his work and training.
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"We remember Stephen as an extremely passionate, funny, supportive, caring individual," she said.
She described how he and his classmates were bonded by the austere living conditions at the free accommodation for paramedic students in Roselle and by his antics during class.
"Steve would demonstrate his pattern for paramedicine, among other topics, regularly getting into arguments with his classmates, which really just made us respect him a whole lot more than what he obviously loved," Ms Hannigan said.
"We can only hope to continue our lives and careers with the same passion that Steve demonstrated to us."
Kate McIlwain
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
