By BRIDGET COOK
THE Cranbourne and District Ambulance Auxiliary has come to an end, but not without leaving one last legacy to the community.
The group used their remaining funds, before finishing up after 30 years of service to the community, to purchase six defibrillators to be strategically placed around the Cranbourne area.
Cranbourne team manager and auxiliary member Dave Millican presented the defibrillators to representatives of the Cranbourne Turf Club, St John’s Anglican Church, Centro Shopping Centre, Botanic Gardens, Blue Hills Rise and Hunters Green on Tuesday last week.
“When we officially started back in 1984, our original aim was to get an ambulance branch in the area,” he said.
“With the help of the community’s generosity over the years, we have achieved that goal and we wanted to give something back to them.
“Defibrillators are a vital part of the chain of survival – a four step process which can help save the lives of people suffering sudden cardiac arrest.
“These four steps include early access to emergency care, early CPR, early defibrillation and early advanced care.
“We chose the locations for these defibrillators for their high traffic and high risk age group with the aim of helping to save lives.”
Auxiliary president Renice Giles said they felt they had done all they could over the past 30 years and was pleased they could make one final contribution and leave a lasting legacy.
“We feel as though we have worked hard to support the Cranbourne community as we were able to raise the funds to get a branch in the area and were able to assist with further donations,” she said.
“There is no longer a need for a dedicated auxiliary, so the defibrillators are a great way to thank everybody who has ever donated to us.
“Ultimately, it is the community’s money and we wanted it to stay local.”
