Everyday Heroes: Ambulance Victoria Community Heroes
In 2017, we highlighted many everyday heroes who have gone to great lengths to help others in need. Bringing recognition and praise to these heroes is an important part of building and uplifting a community of heroes. It is for this reason that we were happy to hear that 14 Victorian were recently awarded with Ambulance Victoria’s Community Heroes Award.
The recipients were recognised for their courage in the event of a medical emergency
Alongside the anonymous heroes who intervened during the Bourke Street tragedy, these individuals were presented with medals and a certificate in honour of their courage and selflessness. The Minister for Ambulance Services, Jill Hennessy, gave the following statement:
We are honouring a group of everyday people who were thrust into an unexpected situation and rose to the challenge… Today, I’m proud to stand alongside our ambulance paramedics to recognise their acts of bravery in an emergency.
In today’s Everyday Heroes, we would like to highlight some of the recipients of the Community Heroes Award. If you would like to read and watch the rest of their stories, the list is available at Ambulance Victoria’s website.
The community at the Glen Eira FC Soccer Club
It was a remarkable team effort when Robert Martiniello collapsed at a soccer club presentation in Carnegie’s Lord Reserve. Joanne McCutcheon’s initiative to retrieve the club’s defibrillator ensured that Martiniello was able to recover from his cardiac arrest. The heroic act wouldn’t have been possible without the selflessness of McCutcheon, Tara Carrafa, Stewart Howell, Alexander and Rachael Yianni.
Pamela Davis, Darcy Hutchinson and Bruce Killey
Bill Patterson owed his life to three complete strangers when he collapsed at the Lara train station. It was thanks to Hutchinson and Killey’s observation of the situation that lead them to realise that something was wrong with Patterson’s breathing. When Davis arrived on the scene she offered to take over CPR for Killey, having just completed her first aid training. Patterson made a full recovery and was back to work within just weeks.
James Tonks
The youngest recipient, at just four years old, acted quickly when his grandmother fell off her bike in November. When he noticed that his Oma was unconscious and unresponsive, he ran to get help from a neighbour. Tonks’ decision meant that his grandmother, Maryke van Duyl, was rushed to hospital and recovered from a serious head injury.
For more inspirational stories of heroism, like Hero Town Geelong on Facebook. Find out more about how you can become an everyday hero and take a stand with our Heroism Training.
