Roger Sayers has helped rescue hundreds of people in the water, so many that he’s lost count.

He’s the former and longest serving club captain of the Avalon Beach Surf Life Saving Club, and yesterday he was honoured to have been awarded the medal of the Order of Australia.

“If you’d said to me 40 odd years ago, I would have been at Government House getting one of these, I would have said you’re joking,” he told Jim Wilson.

“It was fabulous to be there with the family and as you can imagine, they were quite humbled by the whole thing.”

He said there were many in the community just as deserving.

Asked about how many rescues he’s done, he said he’s well and truly lost count.

“I lost count many may years ago, but it would certainly be in the hundreds.”

Press PLAY below to hear more