"Then I developed a sensation that started in my stomach and sort of went up into my throat, either side of my jaw," she recalled. 

"It wasn't a pain, it was just a sensation."

Over the next few hours she felt unwell and clammy.

"At no time did I relate it to heart," she said.

But Mrs Goyne, 55, was in fact having a heart attack that day, December 22.

She underwent a quadruple bypass six days later in Melbourne after Christmas in hospital.

The business owner and her husband Kelton, who live at Splitters Creek, said they were shocked to learn such symptoms could mean a heart attack and also how common they were among women.

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"In Melbourne they did tell us that only 1 per cent of the population have what they call a 'Hollywood' heart attack, that's the heart attack that you see in the movies," Mrs Goyne said.

"They did tell us that heart disease is the number one killer of 55 to 65 year-old women in Australia."

According to the Heart Foundation, Australian women are more likely to die of heart disease than breast cancer, with on average 29 women dying a day nationwide.

"I think the scariest thing for me is the sensation that I had on that day I'd had many times here on the farm doing farm work with Kel," Mrs Goyne said.

"But I actually just thought I'm a 55 year-old, I'm a bit unfit, I need to work a bit harder.

“Women really need to think about different feelings that they're getting in their body, don't discount anything."

The mother of two spent seven days in hospital, then could return home with Mr Goyne as her carer.

Seven weeks after surgery, she is back working full-time and halfway through her cardiac rehabilitation program at Albury hospital.

The Goynes remain grateful for this positive outcome and full of praise for all the health professionals involved.

But Mrs Goyne encouraged all women around her age to consider a heart health check and learn more about atypical symptoms.

"Had I been aware of it that day, I would have rung an ambulance three hours before I rang them," she said.