Anastasia Kontaxopoulos could be set to win The Pride Of Australia 2010 medal for care and compassion, after making it to this year’s finalists’ rounds.
As a parent and member of the community I didn’t think I could leave this child on his own.
The Pride of Australia medals, awarded by the Herald Sun newspaper, acknowledge Victoria’s unsung heroes.
Ms Kontaxopoulos, a social worker at the Alfred hospital, is nominated for her humanitarian efforts in helping Black Saturday burns victims.
While attending to other children Ms Kontaxopoulos also cared for a badly burned six year old boy who was orphaned by the fires, the Herald Sun reported.
The boy eventually died as a result of extensive burns and serious internal injuries and Ms Kontaxopoulos organised a funeral for him at the hospital.
“As a parent and member of the community I didn’t think I could leave this child on his own,” Ms Kontaxopoulos said.
“It was a very personal thing for me and I can’t say how much it affected me”.