Rotary support for Drouin ambulance
Several projects which commenced in January and aimed at assisting the local Ambulance Victoria service and its officers, have been carried out by members of the Drouin Rotary Club, some in association with other local service clubs.
The overall concept arose from a visit to the Drouin Ambulance Station by the Drouin club as part of one of its regular meetings.
One of the earlier jobs undertaken by Drouin Rotarians was the provision and assembly of steel shelving at the Drouin ambulance station initially for the storage of de-badged surplus uniforms prior to their distribution to various recipients.
Drouin Rotary saw the opportunity to initiate a combined project and invited the BunyipGarfield Rotary Club and the Drouin and Warragul Lions Clubs, to join in the purchase of a key piece of equipment for use in Baw Baw and surrounding districts – an inflatable “Hoverjack” to assist in lifting heavy patients.
Ambulance officers risk significant spine and joint injury when lifting such patients, or alternatively, experience delay in getting patients to hospital for essential treatment until such equipment arrives from elsewhere, often from either Dandenong or Heyfield. The new “Hoverjack” will be located at the Warragul station for use primarily in the Baw Baw division, but will be available for use in neighbouring divisions.
Drouin Rotary was successful in obtaining a “district grant” from the Rotary Foundation, Rotary International’s charitable arm.
Drouin president Tim Wills said that this very important piece of equipment would be greatly appreciated by ambulance officers and of significant benefit to patients.
He added that “we were very pleased when the two Lions Clubs agreed to join us, and also Bunyip-Garfield Rotary, which appreciated that its community would benefit from the project. This support and the Rotary Foundation grant enabled the project to go ahead. The total value of both of these projects was over $8,500”.
Another hands-on project carried out by Drouin and Warragul Rotarians and Drouin Lions and respective partners, was the debadging, sorting and packing of hundreds of second-hand uniforms donated by ambulance service members from across Victoria.
Assistant district governor Peter Dell and his wife Rotarian Sally Dell from Warragul joined in the exercise, as well as five off-duty Drouin ambulance officers. Drouin President Tim Wills commented that “there was a mountain of them, and over 70 hours of service were devoted to the work on that first occasion, and most participants took boxes of clothing home to occupy their spare time, two spending six hours each at home that same night”.
Some of the de-badged and packed uniforms were handled by Rotary’s “Donations-in-kind” program which dispatched them overseas, while Ambulance Victoria sent sky-blue shirts to a school in Nepal, and jumpers were sent to a Lions project in the Sudan. There was a box of crocheted rugs which somehow found itself amongst the donated uniforms, and these were taken charge of by Rotarian Sally Dell who sent them to Central Australia for use in wider Rotary’s “End Trachoma” project.
Mr Wills said that this uniform project would be “going on for some time and any groups that might like to help with the debadging could contact him by emailing rcdrouin.president@gmail.com with any help being gratefully received”. He said also that the group activities in these projects were completed before the Lockdown” rules came into force.
Drouin Ambulance team leader Jo Algie said “we appreciate the tremendous support received from the local service clubs in providing essential equipment in the form of the “Hoverjack” which will enable the service to enhance its service to the community, while ensuring the safety of ambulance officers”.
Ms Algie said the ongoing support received on other projects was also very much appreciated.