Galston Equestrian Club and Arcadia Pony Club get Defibrillator

I recently went out to visit the Galston Equestrian Club and Arcadia Pony Club following the announcement they were successful in being awarded funding to put towards life-saving defibrillators.

This funding has been announced as part of the first round of

NSW Government’s Local Sport Defibrillation Program.

More than 33,000 Australians experience cardiac arrest every year and early access to CPR and defibrillation can influence survival rates by up to 75 percent.

The Galston Equestrian Club recently held a training session for a number of their members to become trained in First Aid. During this training they were able to understand and use the defibrillator which could save lives in the club.

I thank those volunteers for giving back to the club to ensure all members are safe while riding. The defibrillator will be shared by the Equestrian Club and Arcadia Pony Club who ride at the same arena.

So far more than 430 defibrillators have been allocated across the state and I am confident the addition of a number of defibrillators across Hornsby will benefit hundreds of local players and spectators.

The NSW Government initiative supports up to 50 per cent of the defibrillator cost, training and maintenance and I encourage local sports clubs and councils that had not yet applied to consider the program. The next round of applications opens in the middle of this year.