I always enjoy reading our Outback Ambulance magazine and have indeed made many contributions over the years. Being an ex-Ambo I read with interest another interesting article by Trevor Keatch from our Katherine Centre in our last edition.

When I first joined our professional staff back in 1978 in Darwin, I came to the Territory from South Australia as a young guy full of enthusiasm to “make a difference”. That soon changed, and as Trevor says in his article – it was actually within six weeks. I was totally unprepared and had neither the conception nor understanding of Indigenous culture. I am honest when I say I became disillusioned and I also became simply tired of drunks wasting “our” time as Ambulance professionals. How wrong I was to assume these cases were the “norm”. Most certainly, I was often assaulted, verbally abused and at times, even feared for my own safety. Later in my career, I was actually shot at, chased with knife-wielding weirdo’s and one night quite severely “bashed” within the patient cabin of an ambulance. One wonders why we want to be Paramedics/Ambulance Officers – let alone nurses.

It wasn’t until I became a nurse and started working and teaching “out bush” that I began to realise that there is sometimes a true difference between the urban and remote. Not always though!

This picture shows (permission granted) some Indigenous kids learning CPR skills in one of the remotest locations I have ever worked. I had been conducting a St John Ambulance (NT) First Aid course earlier; and took the opportunity to help the local school.

That evening after I departed, unfortunately saw a very senior/respected Indigenous Elder suffer a sudden cardiac arrest and the Community rallied and opened the unattended Clinic for the lone defibrillator. There was no Doctor, Nurse or Paramedic present in their Community as they were so remote from any sort of professional medical or nursing assistance. They were only physically visited for twice-weekly clinics by clinical/medical staff.

They were able to apply their St John Ambulance (NT) training and the defibrillator “shocked” the patient – whilst others were calling the RFDS. Unfortunately, it was a sad outcome and the patient did not survive. They did not have the ability to do the “drug-drill” or administer further aid that might a Doctor, Nurse or Paramedic instigate and assist with if they had been in attendance.

It is important perhaps as pre-hospital care professionals and volunteers to remind ourselves that “yes” we too know emergency management skills – but be less inclined to judge that “others” can also benefit from our knowledge, our experience and our ability to teach these skills where they are most needed. This is particularly so in remote areas.

St John Ambulance Australia nationally teaches these skills and indeed, we can save lives in remote areas where there is no Ambulance Service available. Cultural awareness is essential and is a learned experience both through formal tuition and experience.

Alan Caust OStJ
Instructor – First Aid