Bali bombing survivor Julian Burton is still coming to terms with it, after being nominated as South Australia's candidate for Australian of the Year.
Not just the 2002 terrorist attack that almost claimed his life, but being feted as a great Australian.
"I'm just in awe to put in that sort of category," Burton, South Australia's nomination for Australian of the Year, told AAP.
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Burton was a self-confessed sporting jock when he suffered life-threatening burns in the Bali bombings, which killed 88 Australians.
Celebrations take terrifying twist
At the time, he was a physical education school teacher and a leading Australian Rules player for the Sturt club.
Burton and Sturt colleagues were celebrating winning the SANFL premiership when they were caught in the Bali attacks, which killed his teammate Josh Deegan and club official Bob Marshall.
"I was a jock," Burton said.
"I was a school teacher for six years and I played semi-professional sport and then unfortunately Bali happened and,
you know, it was an unfortunate incident and I was very lucky.
'Less fortunate people'
"There was a lot of people out there who were a lot less fortunate than I was.
"The support that I got when I returned and the people who looked after me were the inspiration behind the vision."
The vision was to create Australia's first charity community organisation committed solely to prevention, care and research into burn injuries - the Julian Burton Burns Trust.
"There was no national organisation for burns," he said.
"There was just a need for it.
"It was a big risk to give up a full-time job but ... it was just a passion, I had a vision to do something and there was a need and I had great people around me but it took a lot of courage and a lot of commitment."
That commitment could result in being crowned Australian of the Year, a feat that Burton rated unlikely.
The 36-year-old father of two told his wife, Alice, he had one per cent chance of being South Australian of the Year.
'Ordinary bloke'
And he rates his chances of taking the national gong as "0.0 per cent".
"I am just an ordinary bloke who grew up on a country farm that went through a bit of adversity and tragedy, very lucky to have come through it, gave something back and it kind of transpired into what it is today," he said.
"To me, I just see myself as an ordinary Australian.
"Everyone battles adversity and tragedy and we all need courage to move on and I see myself as no different."
