It was a damp day last April, and Steve O'Neill described himself as "on a mission" to clean the gutters around his Balgowlah home.

"I had my hand reached up high, cleaning the leaves and I didn't have gloves on. I felt something bite one of fingers on my right hand," he said.

Immediately, Mr O'Neill pulled his hand from the gutter, and saw what looked like a spider fall to the ground. Alarmed and in immense pain, he ran inside and called his wife Natasha, who phoned triple-0.

"I was panicking, my heart rate was up and I was thinking 'God what is going to happen next if this is a nasty bite what is going to happen to me,'" said Mr O'Neill.