WHAT possessed Steve Wellard to wade into the freezing flood waters at Bridgman Road in Singleton on Saturday night he will never know.
But, if he hadn't he would never have heard the desperate calls for help from two 15-year-old boys, who had been picked up by the flood waters and washed to the back of the pump station.
The teens were hanging onto a sign up to their necks in the water and calling out for help in the 9pm darkness for about 30 minutes before the Muswellbrook City Motor Group employee heard their calls.
"Someone was looking after those fellows that night," Mr Wellard said when recounting his story.
After visiting his parents-in-law on the town side of Singleton, Mr Wellard decided to take a walk to the Bridgman Road intersection.
Curiosity got the better of him and he waded into the water to see how deep it was, to the rushing sounds of the floods.
It was when he was in up to his knees that he heard the teenager's screams.
"I DIDN'T know where they were coming from and I could only just hear them above the sound of the water, so I waded out a bit more until the water was chest height," he said.
From here, the two boys told Mr Wellard they had been washed into the flood waters while trying to get home to Singleton Heights.
"I couldn't see them, but I could hear the desperation in their voices," he said.
They told Mr Wellard they didn't know how much longer they could hang on to the sign.
Mr Wellard called his mother-in-law and asked her to alert the SES to the situation and decided to stay and keep the boys spirits up by talking to them.
Mr Wellard reached the point of no return to dry land when he continued through the water in an effort to save the boys.
He walked towards a car, which was submerged within six inches of the roof, and almost got swept away, as his body slammed against the side of the vehicle with the force of the water.
Mr Wellard climbed onto the roof of the car and kept the two boys talking during the ordeal.
"The water was so cold, it would have been painful for them to have been in it for so long and their arms must have felt like lead holding onto that sign," he said.
About 40 minutes later, the SES boat made its way to the trio.
As it moved through the water, Mr Wellard gave the boys updates as to where the boat was.
"By this stage I had gone numb and my legs felt like lead as the car started to move under me," Mr Wellard said.
He spotted the top of a tree about six feet in front of him and focused on that so he could jump to it if the car tipped.
When the rescue boat arrived the heads of the two boys were just above the water.
"I don't know how much longer they could have hung on . . . if they let go they might have been swept to Newcastle," Mr Wellard said.
All three were taken to hospital and treated for hypothermia.
Mr Wellard is quick to point out that he didn't rescue the boys, saying the SES were the heroes.
"The SES, ambulance and police were great," he said.
But, he does admit there was no one around the site at the time and if he hadn't come along the two would have been in grave danger.
Asked whether he would do it again the answer was a straight 'yes.'
"Of course, I have two boys who aren't much older and I would hope someone would do the same for them," Mr Wellard said.
He said the two boys were very appreciative of what he had done for them, but during the ordeal he did not get their names.
"I would like to talk to them again and see how they are going," Mr Wellard said.
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