LOCAL man Dave Saunders is this month celebrating half a century of commitment to St John Ambulance service as a volunteer.
Mr Saunders joined the Collie branch of the service in 1965 when he was just 17 years old, and has been a devoted volunteer ever since.
He joined after attending a first aid course with a friend and decided to sign up as a volunteer, and became the youngest ambulance driver in the state at one stage.
A passion for helping people has kept Mr Saunders involved with St John and he said he has no desire to give up any time soon.
“I still love it, the day I don’t enjoy work is the day I will give it away, and it’s a very self-rewarding role.”
He said the highlight of his time as a volunteer was when he delivered a baby about seven years ago.
“We often see the end of life, so to see the start of life was a thrill,” he said.
Mr Saunders said part of the job satisfaction of working as a volunteer especially in a small town like Collie is that he often sees the people he has helped around town.
“You often see people that you helped like someone who may have had broken limbs getting around on crutches and it’s a good thing to know you have helped them get on the mend.”
Mr Saunders said the ongoing support and training he receives from St John is fantastic, and allows him to continually expand on his skills and knowledge and be adaptable to any situation.
“No two jobs are ever the same, they may have similar injuries but the conditions that we work in are always different and can sometimes be challenging.”
“We have a really good crew of volunteers at the moment, and it’s always good when new volunteers get involved,” he said.
There have been a lot of changes throughout his time as a volunteer, and Mr Saunders said they deal with a lot more drug related incidences now than when he first started.
“When I first started we only had one paid paramedic and volunteers to support them, now we have four paid paramedics and a great team of volunteers, it has certainly got a lot busier over time.”
"The day I loose my passion is the day i will give it up," he said.
Now retired from his day job in the mining industry, Mr Saunders keeps busy volunteering his time to St Johns and is a member of the Collie Woodturners club as well as being an active Justice of the Peace.
Mr Saunders will be presented with a recognition award at an event at the Perth Convention and Exhibition centre in August.
