There's a saying that there are two kinds of people - those who see the glass half full and those who see it half empty.
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But to say that Chris Rantall is a glass half full man would be a serious understatement.
His courage and positive outlook after he survived a freak skydiving accident at Torquay in July is nothing short of amazing.
The Dennington father and ex-serviceman was harnessed to tandem skydive instructor Arron Toepfer, 35, when two parachutes failed to open and the pair crashed into a paddock on July 30.
Mr Toepfer tragically died at the scene.
Recently, Mr Rantall spoke at Warrnambool's Seventh Day Adventist Church about the fateful day.
Incredibly, Mr Rantall made the focus not about himself and the serious injuries he sustained - three fractured vertabrae, a fractured hip, spleen, lung and heart damage and broken ribs - but on the hero of the day.
Mr Rantall spoke about meeting the Mr Toepfer for the first time, describing him as a "hero in the making".
"He loved skydiving and he had a special love for his family and friends," he said.
"He was the type of bloke who would do anything for you."
Mr Rantall said Mr Toepfer's actions saved his life.
He became emotional when he spoke about learning that his daughter Raya thought he had died at the scene.
Mr Rantall said he remembered Mr Toepfer briefly saying he wanted to stand up after the accident.
"At this stage it was thought that if either of us was going to die, it would be me," he said.
His daughter phoned family members to tell them what had happened.
"It was then around that time that someone told Raya that one of us had died," Mr Rantall said.
"You can imagine that it was me she was thinking of because I was the one who was meant to die and then she found out it wasn't me, it was Aaron.
"The Aaron who cradled me in his arms. Cradled a stranger in his arms trying to save a stranger's life. That life being mine. I just praise god and thank god for everything," Mr Rantall said.
He told the crowd he was recovering well from the accident and was grateful for each and every day.
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