Dedicated First Responder Calls Time
September 26, 2023in Community News
Ambulance Community Officer (ACO) and retired paramedic Leo Cartwright has been an integral part of Ambulance Victoria (AV) and his community for more than four decades.
Leo recently retired as an ACO at the Rosedale branch, calling time on an incredible career.
He had a passion for first response from a young age, working with Country Fire Authority and St John’s Ambulance as a teenager in the 1960’s before joining AV in 1976.
Leo Cartwright on the job with Ambulance Victoria.
“I’ve always had an interest in helping people and that’s the reason I became a paramedic,” Leo said.
“It’s not an easy job to do, and there’s been challenging moments, but if I could go back in time and do it all over again, I would.”
Leo has had many roles throughout his time at AV, working as a paramedic on the road and in the air, providing emergency support as a communications officer in the Morwell Communications Centre and teaching.
“I worked as a lecturer first in the Public Education Unit and later with the Monash University Centre for Ambulance Paramedics and Studies,” Leo said.
“I enjoyed being able to share my knowledge, not just with paramedics but with community members too,” he said.
“There have been big changes in training and paramedicine over the years. Every time I went into the classroom to teach, our training had evolved.”
Leo retired as a paramedic in 2004 and returned to Ambulance Victoria in 2020 as an ACO, providing emergency medical assistance to his local community.
ACOs are First Responders employed on a casual basis to work “on call” in rural and remote areas where the ambulance caseload is low and the branch is not staffed by multiple paramedics on a full-time basis.
They are trained to provide advanced first aid, to support paramedics and can transport patients to hospital.
“It’s great for the public to have ACOs out in the community providing first response and working alongside paramedics,” Leo said.
Acting Gippsland Area Manager Pauline Murcott said it was a privilege working with Leo.
“Leo has contributed a wealth of knowledge and experience to the Rosedale team, and he has always provided an exceptional level of patient care,” Pauline said.
“His extensive experience, knowledge and caring nature will be missed throughout Gippsland,” she said.
“We wish Leo and his wife Barb all the best for his retirement and thank him for his service to the community and Ambulance Victoria.”