VICTORIA. — Ambulance Victoria today congratulated King’s Birthday Honours recipients.
Gisborne Ambulance Victoria Auxiliary treasurer Patricia Kaye was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for service to the community of Gisborne.
Patricia was a founding member of the Gisborne ambulance auxiliary in 1975 and, over more than 50 years, has made enormous contributions to establish and advance the local ambulance service.
Patricia was involved in fundraising for the town’s first ambulance vehicle, first ambulance branch and a local helipad, and now for more than five decades, fundraising for additional equipment and resources for local paramedics.
The Gisborne auxiliary’s energy and creativity have always shone through, with the group running antique fairs, art shows, cake stalls, square dancing, bingo and making showbags – all to raise money for the town’s ambulance needs.
“We’re a small team, but we’ve always worked well together – and we’ve had a lot of fun doing what we do,” Patricia said.
Bairnsdale Mobile Intensive Care Ambulance (MICA) paramedic Murray Colvin was awarded the Emergency Services Medal (ESM) for distinguished service as a member of an Australian emergency service.
Murray has made a significant impact through 50 years of service in Surf Life Saving, and this year retired after a stellar 30-year career at Ambulance Victoria.
Driven by an unwavering passion to help others, Murray started out his ambulance career as an Ambulance Community Officer (ACO) in Lakes Entrance before studying paramedicine.
Across the decades, he worked alongside paramedics on the former Helimed 1 aircraft, spent time as a paramedic educator and clinical instructor, was an upward reliever in roles including clinical support officer and senior team manager, and finally landed as a MICA single responder in Bairnsdale.
Murray was at the forefront of significant changes across Victoria’s ambulance service, including the introduction of pre-hospital thrombolysis – clot-busting medication that has revolutionised the treatment of heart attacks and strokes.
Murray has made a significant contribution to the safety and wellbeing of communities across Australia, and his career reflects courage, innovation, and enduring commitment.
Former Mallacoota Ambulance Victoria Auxiliary member Leo Harmen op den Brouw ESM was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for service to the community of East Gippsland. He volunteered on the auxiliary committee from 1986 to 1991.
