Seventeen brave Victorians – as well as an entire bowls club – were recognised for their extraordinary acts of lifesaving at a Parliament House ceremony on Wednesday.

Each of these selfless individuals, who had saved others from cardiac arrests, burning buildings and submerged cars, was presented with an Ambulance Victoria Community Hero Award by Victorian Health Minister David Davis and Ambulance Victoria CEO Greg Sassella.

Most of the recipients performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Among them were five members of the Derrimut 24:7 Gym, who administered CPR to mother-of-two Susan Doggett, 28, who had collapsed while exercising. Their early intervention saved Ms Doggett's life.

The entire Korumburra Bowls Club was awarded for administering CPR to a fellow bowler who had collapsed. The members took turns administering CPR to the stricken bowler, who would not have survived without their help.

Geraldine, Russell and David Mawson, meanwhile, performed CPR for half an hour on their friend Bob Worotniuk, who had had a heart attack. When the paramedics arrived they defibrillated Mr Worotniuk five times before his heart restarted.

The paramedics took so long to arrive as the incident happened on a farmstead 30 minutes drive from Benalla. It was a year ago Thursday that it happened.

"I can't remember anything. I was dead," said Mr Worotniuk, 67, who was present at the ceremony.

"If it wasn't for these guys (the Mawsons) that would have been it. I'm just grateful that they were there, obviously, and that I can still see my kids. I'm alive 12 months later working like I did before."

Mr Mawson, a veterinary surgeon, was helping his friends administer insect-repellant dip to their sheep when the attack happened.

Russell Mawson, his wife Geraldine and his brother David said they feared Mr Worotniuk would not survive. "He kept dying on us," said Russell Mawson. "He'd fight us and would turn on his side...we'd have to start again, roll him on his back and start the whole process again.

"Not one minute did we think about giving up. David did an enormous effort to keep the CPR going on and on and on. We were frantically ringing and ringing the ambulance because they seemed like they were taking forever."

Mr Worotniuk was taken by air ambulance to the Alfred Hospital, where he recovered consciousness five days later.

Mr Worotniuk, whose main hobby is art, did three paintings of the farmstead as gifts for Russell, David and Geraldine.