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11 MAY, 2022
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Ambulance calls surge By Fatima Halloum
Truganina’s BMX talent Not many teenagers can refer to themselves as national champions but 14-year-old Cameron Gatt can. The Truganina local brought home gold after competing in Brisbane at the BMX Oceania Championships in April. Cameron’s fixation with the sport began when he was six-years-old, he attended the Weerama parade and observed BMX riders in their element for the first time. “I saw the boys on their bikes [and] I was completely amazed by their skills. They left a lasting impression on me and I hassled my mum every day until she organised for me to have a trial,” Cameron said. “My parents took me down to the local track to lend a bike and gear and I was hooked, from that day I never turned back.” Cameron said despite years of competitions, he “always” feels nervous. “When I’m up on the hill waiting for the gate to drop, I use the nerves to push me to explode out in front of my competitors, then the adrenalin takes over,” he said. “The adrenalin of the major events is my favourite thing, the rush you get after seeing all your hard work pay off when you get across that finish line first.” Cameron credits his coach, Werribee’s Fraser Te Hiko, for his achievements and hopes to compete in the Brisbane 2032 olympics. “I hope that I will be in my absolute prime and am selected to represent my country in the Olympics in front of our home crowd. That is the ultimate goal of my career – Olympic Gold,” he said. Cameron Gatt will travel to France in July to compete in the BMX world championships.
Fatima Halloum
(Joe Mastroianni). 278411_03
Date: Tuesday 17 May 2022 Time: 6.30pm arrival for a 7pm start Venue: Fr Moran Performing Arts Centre, Thomas Carr College RSVP: Thursday 12 May 2022 To register, please visit www.thomascarr.vic.edu.au/#quicks
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Paramedics in Wyndham are among the busiest in the state, with their caseload surging by more than 30 per cent in the year to March. Latest Ambulance Victoria data reveals Wyndham paramedics were called to 3282 code one cases between January and March, up from 2510 cases during the same period in 2021. Ambulance Victoria said calls in Wyndham accounted for 3.52 per cent of the statewide code one demand, making the municipality the fifth busiest local government area. Code one cases are life-threatening or time critical emergencies. According to the data, the average response time for code one calls in Wyndham was 14 minutes and 43 seconds as of March, down from 15 minutes and 33 seconds in December, 2021. Wyndham paramedics responded to 69.1 per cent of code one calls within the benchmark response time of 15 minutes, up from 63.5 per cent in December, 2021. Ambulance Employees Australia Victoria (AEAV) secretary Brett Adie said the increase in call-outs had left ambulance crews fatigued and burnt out. “Many ambulance workers are finding that they need to limit their exposure to work to provide themselves with an opportunity to recharge their batteries,” Mr Adie said. “Our members are finding it increasingly hard to keep soldiering on. Taking pressure off the system is the first priority and the creation of alternative pathways for healthcare is a critical step in that process.” Ambulance Victoria metro regional director Michael Georgiou said the organisation recruited 700 paramedics in 2021 to help meet demand. “This recruitment drive continues with 174 paramedics already on board so far this year to help get more ambulances on the road and to patients quicker,” Mr Georgiou said. Ambulance Victoria is encouraging people to contact their GP and pharmacists for non-urgent care. “While ambulances are always provided to patients when required, about one in five calls to triple-0 (000) do not need an emergency ambulance response,” Mr Georgiou said.