He may be a common man. But his story is far from that of one. Hundreds of lines have been written and thousands of words spoken about his selfless bravery. Many a story has been spun around that fateful day on March 22, 2002. A hero of the people, he is. Now the government, too, has recognized his act of chivalry by awarding him this year's only Gold Medal for Bravery.

The award puts him in the coveted company of 272 celebrities, lawmakers and other dignitaries to be honoured for their public and community service.

But what does Wong Sai-kit himself feel about the brouhaha? Given half a chance, the 30-year-old electrician would not speak about himself. For he is too shy a person to do that. Despite being in the public glare, he is too modest to accept his selfless deed as an achievement.

"First of all, let me tell you that I don't think of it as an act of bravery," Wong says firmly. "It was just a spur of the moment thing. Many other people would have done the same... No, no, it was not exactly jumping into fire, as you say, but...."

But what? One has to persuade him because he visibly feels ill at ease recounting the event. "Well, I was conducting a routine electricity test with my (23-year-old) colleague Tam Po-ming in this huge warehouse at the Air Cargo Terminal. Many dangerous substances, including toxic gases, were stored there. It was a potentially hazardous place to work in... But we electricians know that.

"We had finished our work and had come out of the warehouse... the automatic door shutting behind us. There were these three technicians still in there, working."

So how and when did you realize there was a gas leak? "We were waiting near the door, when I saw something white like smoke coming out from under the door. It took me a while to realize that it must be a poisonous gas... It was carbon dioxide, in fact. Electricity tests and changes in the warehouse temperature... or maybe the sudden heating of the place may have triggered the gas leak."

Wong pauses. It's obvious he'd prefer to talk about things differently. So did he and Tam run in immediately to save the three others? "Tam and I ran to check out the Dangerous Goods Strong Room at the terminal. The door was locked. So we had to get the keys. Then we decided to go back to the warehouse."

With Tam holding the door open, Wong charged in. "The room looked like it had been covered by a sheet of film. Nothing could be seen properly. I looked for the men... groped on the floor... I knew we had to carry them out. Otherwise they would die in minutes.

"To see properly, I had to open my eyes wider and that meant taking in more gas in the eyes. And then I got one of them. I half-carried, half-dragged him to the door... where Tam was."

And then Wong ran in again. This time he knew where to find the other two. So he didn't have to grope. But by this time the warehouse was filled with more of the noxious gas. That meant poorer visibility and greater breathing problem. But he wasn't thinking about his won safety. "My own safety was the last thing on my mind... I mean, that didn't even occur to me. I just had to do it."

It's difficult for most of us even to imagine the situation. And there was Wong living through it. "I could feel that was more gas... Instead of the white sheet of film, it was now blindingly white. I was suffocating and my movement was somewhat restricted. But it was a question of life... Tears were running down my eyes... I had to open my eyes wider to see properly, so I took in more gas..."

Wong was totally out of breath by the time he dragged the second man out. Feeling too dizzy to go inside a third time, he switched place with Tam so Tam dragged the third technician out.

Recounting the rescue afterwards, Tam said he wouldn't have gone in had Wong not shown such courage. "I was really scared... I just wanted to call police and didn't want to go back and save people. But Wong said people were trapped and asked me to help him. I hesitated. But I followed him since he was so brave. I was really nervous. I don't know whether I was worrying about myself or the trapped men."

Tam also won an award this year - a Silver Medal for Bravery.

But unfortunately one of the three rescued workers died later.

Wong may not consider his act of bravery as special. But the people sure do. So does the government.

Will being honoured for his "exceptional courage and gallantry of the highest order" make him change his mind? Wong says: "I do feel an overwhelming sense of satisfaction for being recognized this way. It's a nice feeling. But I certainly didn't think of any award or official honour when I ran in to save those men."

The man in Wong will compel him to risk his life again to save another man. But the husband and father in him may act as an obstacle. True, the incident has taught him a lesson: to be alert and cautious all the time. But it has also taught him to think about his family.

"I did not think about my own safety then... There is an element of danger in any job or situation, and I'll remind myself to take extra care from now on."

Wong, who lives with his family in Kwun Tong, says that though it's the greatest honour to put one's own life in danger to save a man, he may think twice before doing so again.

And there's a very valid reason for that. "I think I'll think about my loved ones more if I get into a similar situation again. Selfless and courageous acts may have earned me recognition, but thinking about one's family is equally important."

The recognition and the award has not changed the man one bit. He still loves his profession as an electrician. "I live a very normal life and have a very routine job. That incident has not changed the way I look at life. But it has made me think a bit more about myself."

"I may not save lives again. But I will continue to do what I think is right and hope to make more positive contributions to society."

That Wong has not changed one bit was proven by his anxiousness to be among the celebrities. "I am not overly nervous about it (getting the award). It is more a feeling of calm satisfaction and contentment, but I am excited, for I'd get to see the more well-known awardees at the ceremony."

Another bravery award winner is fireman Wong Hon, who will get the Silver Medal for Bravery for saving people in Thailand where he was on vacation when the devastating tsunami struck in December last year.

Among the more well-known awardees are Ma Lik, Ng Ching-fat, Lui Che-woo and Yeung Eng-kiong, who are given the Gold Bauhinia Star Award.

A measure of Wong Sai-kit's modesty is his signing off statement: "I think some of the awardees deserve the honour much more than me. But I am glad to be recognized nonetheless. I hope I can be an example to others in some way."

(HK Edition 09/02/2005 page4)