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IT has been a long time coming, but Wedderburn’s ambulance has arrived and the town’s residents are delighted.
Wedderburn now has its own ambulance and 12 paid ambulance community officers, who provide a round-the-clock emergency medical service.
Wedderburn Lions Club member Darryl Arnott, who led the push for the ambulance for about six years, described it as “brilliant”.
“It’s just been a fantastic thing for the town, the community is very happy about it,” Mr Arnott said.
Previously the town was serviced by a trained volunteer team who provided emergency care until an ambulance arrived from one of the surrounding towns, the nearest being Charlton and Inglewood 30km away.
As a result, Mr Arnott said, there had too often been up to an hour’s wait for an ambulance.
He said the volunteer team had also been facing an increasing number of callouts.
“The need was there and the (state) government has recognised that need,” he said.
Loddon Shire’s Wedderburn ward councillor Gavan Holt said the drive for the ambulance was part of a long-running wider campaign to improve the town’s health services.
Cr Holt said it was reassuring for residents to know there was an ambulance stationed in the town should an emergency arise, particularly for older people and given the absence of a hospital.
The volunteers who had formed the community response team were to be commended, he said, with some undergoing training to become the new ambulance community officers.
“The CERT (community emergency response team) has been fantastic and the community really values them,” Cr Holt said.
“The work they’ve done has been exceptional.”
The Lions Club’s campaign involved a lot of hard work, Mr Arnott said, including plenty of discussions with parliamentarians.
“I think it shows they hold the needs of their community in high esteem,” ambulance services minister Jill Hennessy said of those who maintained the campaign for several years.
The ambulance community officers are supported by a full-time paramedic support co-ordinator, who is also a mobile intensive care ambulance paramedic.
Ms Hennessy said the co-ordinator would also work with other primary healthcare providers to help organise other forms of healthcare for residents.