Richard Baines, paramedic for 35 years

I joined the service in 1974, moving to Sydney for level 1 at the “Rocks”, with Ian Aldi and Max Caddis running the show. Loved them and loved my new job. Little did I know what a life I would have over the next 35 years as an “ambo”. I was selected for the “level 5” 1978 course 7 (the last of the Dr Bob Wright’s course). I went back to Newcastle in 1980, helping to pioneer helicopter operations Newcastle, including two years with the Tasmanian Service, completing vehicle rescue, SRT, wilderness survival, fixed wing SAR, and 400 hours RFDS with contractor Smith Aviation. I continued in the Service until 1999 and started working mostly as a flight medic, but the variety of deployments included oil rigs, oil pipeline projects, coal mining, iron ore mining, the Alice Springs to Darwin railway, and several other short projects. ADF work followed with two years on the Solomon Island Project, East Timor (UN Project), Joint Training Centre Canberra ADF, HMS Albatross Nowra and other deployments in support of NORTH FORCE. The Oil and Gas EXXON Mobile Project PNG for four years was one of the many highlights. My thanks to Max, Ian and Rick Meredeth and Paul Featherstone for their influence in ALS in the beginning, and especially Dr Bob Wright. Many thanks, it has been an amazing journey.