Hundreds had turned out for the outdoor celebration and the annual raft race was in full swing when one of the home-made crafts began to sink.

Other members of BP Service Station six-man crew headed back to the shore unaware that two of their friends were in trouble.

Alvin Verdilo and Sonne Le were unable to swim. They panicked when they landed in the water.

Adam Drake was on lifeguard duty during the race and was in the NT Emergency Services boat while Jenni Zendeli, also a trained lifeguard, had jumped on board at the last moment for some fun.

“It wasn’t fun for long,” Jenni said.

“Things soon turned very serious when we saw the men struggling.”

As Adam jumped into the water to reach out to one of the men, the other man clung to him.

The alarmed men clambered onto Adam which weighed him down.

Jenni realised Adam needed help so she grabbed a flotation device which was attached to the boat, jumped in and swam over.

“I said to one of the men to take the board and I encouraged him to calm down,” Jenni said.

“Then I took the rope and reeled him into the boat while Adam swam back with the other man and helped him in.”

Jenni said it was the first time she had been in a real-life rescue situation.

“Luckily, everything we were taught in our training kicked in,” she said.

“I felt really proud that I knew what I had to do and was able to help the men in trouble.”

Adam said he was relieved everything turned out well.

“Everyone worked together to save the men,” he said.

“Mick Dodd from BP was a fantastic help in guiding everyone through the situation and the NTES guys controlled things from the boat.

“As for Jenni, well it was lucky she asked to come for a ride, her assistance proved to be vital.”

Alvin and Sonne said they were grateful to all who had a hand in their rescue.

“We’re very thankful,” Alvin said.

“Adam and Jenni saved our lives so we’re really happy with them.”

In another Australia Day drama, a swimmer in the triathlon had to be rescued when she suffered an asthma attack in the water.

Sarah Goddard, a strong swimmer, began to flail when she had difficulty breathing during the race.

The NTES crew threw in the flotation device, which had already been put to good use, and towed her back to the shore.