"I just thought, 'how do I become that guy?'" the Shell Cove local said.

Now, after 34 years in the ambulance service working on rescue helicopters, Mr Cannon's incredible career is being celebrated at the Queen's Birthday Honours.

Mr Cannon called the honour an "absolute surprise".

"I orginally didn't believe it!" he said.

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Mr Cannon's career with the ambulance's Special Casualty Access Team has taken him everywhere, from the frontlines of Victorian bushfires to the aftermath of Japan's 2011 tsunami.

While he's saved lives during horrific natural disasters, Mr Cannon said it's some of the smaller moments that have had the biggest impact on him.

Just a few months ago, while driving home from an off-duty fishing trip with his son, Mr Cannon had a moment he described as the "pinnacle" of his career.

"We just came across three people doing CPR on a five-week old baby ...

"I cleared its airways and started working CPR."

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When an ambulance arrived, Mr Cannon was doing CPR in his fishing gear and no shoes, but he and the other officers managed to get the baby's pulse back.

"That little boy is alive ... that's the pinnacle of my career," Mr Cannon said.

Working with the Albion Pass helicopter, Mr Cannon is regularly winched into canyons and abseils down cliff faces to rescue people.

"That's a yearly event, being winched into Macquarie Pass. The teamwork is incredible to get in there."

Mr Cannon emphasised the importance of incredible teamwork and communication on the helicopter.

"I do rescues off ships, rescues in water, on cruise ships - it's all about teamwork," he said.

Mr Cannon is also heavily involved in officer training, passionate about passing on his knowledge.

After 34 years in the service, Mr Cannon said he is still exactly where he wants to be: saving lives on the front lines.

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