Ipswich paramedics, Local Ambulance Committee volunteers awarded for decades of service in West Moreton

The unsung heroes who work tirelessly on the frontline and behind the scenes to ensure the safety of the Ipswich community have been recognised for their efforts. Here’s a full list.

Lachlan McIvor

4 min read

October 5, 2021 - 3:47PM

Ipswich

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During a 25-year stint as a paramedic, Deb Walters has tried her hand at nursing and teaching but she has always been drawn back to her one true calling in life.

The Ipswich senior paramedic was awarded the first clasp for the National Medal she was granted a decade ago, to mark a quarter of a century of diligent and committed service.

Having grown up in Booval and with generations of her family calling the city home, Ms Walters is now a key figure at one of the busiest ambulance stations in Queensland.

Debra Walters and Acting Assistant Commissioner Matt Green.

The job has changed significantly during the mum of two’s time in uniform but the drive to head into each new day ready to save lives has never wavered.

Long gone are the days when someone with chest pain was simply given an aspirin and driven quickly to the hospital.

Based at the Ipswich Ambulance Station, she spends most shifts working in a specialised ambulance responding to mental health incidents.

It all started on the Gold Coast in 1995 while she was studying nursing and got the opportunity to work at the Southport Ambulance Station.

“It took off from there,” she said.

“Back then it was like an apprenticeship. You got a position and they trained you for three years then, at that time, you were called a qualified ambulance officer.

“You learnt on the job.”

LAC volunteer recipients with QAS Director Drew Hebbron (right) and Acting Assistant Commissioner Matt Green.

Ms Walters was posted to Ipswich in 1998 but in the years since, she has spent time as a mental health nurse and as a primary school teacher.

But she always came back to working as a paramedic, and has also done stints at the Lowood and Boonah stations.

“It’s what I’m drawn to,” she said.

“I always come back into the fold because it’s what I know, it’s what I love and it’s what I’m good at.”

Most of her 12-hour shifts are spent in the mental health co-responder ambulance alongside a mental health clinician.

“Mental health is really my passion,” Ms Walters said.

“I spent three years as a mental health nurse. We go out and treat people at their home in the community rather than having to bring them into hospital.

“A hospital emergency department is not a very nice place to be if you’re in crisis. One of the big changes I’ve seen in the ambulance service is we go to a lot more mental health calls. They are a much bigger part of our everyday work then they were years ago.

“Every day is different. You never know what the next call could be.

“We’ve seen things you just can’t imagine.”

The work is tough and busy nights can see shifts drag on longer than 12 hours; it can mean missing Christmases and children’s birthdays.

More personnel have been brought on board to keep up with Ipswich’s significant population growth.

The Queensland Ambulance Service paid tribute to Enid Machin for 50 years of service on the Ipswich Ambulance Committee. She stands next to West Moreton District Director Superintendent Drew Hebbron.

Instead of two ambulance crews working a night shift 25 years ago, it has grown to six.

“People are using ambulance services differently,” Ms Walters said.

“25 years ago people had to be a subscriber to the service. Usually it was only called for an emergency. Now it’s free and it’s used for much more than just an emergency service.”

Ms Walters said the most rewarding part of the job during her distinguished career has been being able to make a difference.

“(Jobs) where I’ve caught a heart attack at the very beginning and stopped it from happening,” she said.

“We’re much more skilled than we used to be. We carry a lot more drugs and we have a lot more procedures. Now we can give people medication to stop a heart attack and get them straight in to see a cardiologist.

“We work in a very challenging environment. Sometimes it feels like we’re just trying to make a diagnosis just with our hands and a stethoscope.”

Other operational staff and Local Ambulance Committee Volunteers from around the West Moreton region were also recognised for their many years of service this past week.

Enid Machin, 84, dedicated 50 years to the Ipswich Ambulance Committee and raised hundreds of thousands of dollars in the process.

She now lives in Toowoomba.

“I enjoyed all that I did,” she said

“I didn’t think of it as a job because I know that what we raised was going to a good cause.”