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High praise for Esperance paramedic celebrating 25 years of service with St John WA

Phoebe PinKalgoorlie Miner
Esperance Community Paramedic Paul Gaughan. Photo: Supplied
Camera IconEsperance Community Paramedic Paul Gaughan. Photo: Supplied Credit: Supplied

An Esperance community paramedic has been recognised for completing 25 years of service with St John WA.

Paul Gaughan was awarded a first clasp for his dedication to patient care at an awards ceremony conducted by WA Governor Kim Beazley at Government House in Perth this month.

Mr Gaughan was a paramedic in Perth for 17 years before moving to Esperance eight years ago, where he has since attended thousands of ambulance call-outs, including that of 17-year-old surfer Laeticia Brouwer, who was the victim of a fatal shark attack in 2017.

An active member of the community, Mr Gaughan was named the 2018 Esperance citizen of the year and has also received an Ambulance Service Medal for his work.

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Passionate about helping people in crisis, Mr Gaughan said he had wanted to work with St John WA to make a difference in people’s lives.

“Twenty-five years ago I had to decide if I was going to continue on in my helping profession or do something entirely different, so I went for something different,” he said.

“I enjoy arriving on scene and being able to diminish a person’s pain and help start them on the road to recovery.

“I enjoy working with all the other agencies to bring about great outcomes for patients and communities. I enjoy training ambulance officers and observing their light-bulb moments when they understand something for the first time.”

Mr Gaughan said the job was not without its challenges.

“Sometimes I am over 100km from hospital and I have a severely injured or even critical patient to care for,” he said.

“There is no other help around and it is just a matter of making things work whatever way you can.

“I end up in a variety of environments from farming, industrial, marine or coastal, highway, commercial and residential, but each environment is unique and has its own challenges.”

Mr Gaughan said not everyone could be a paramedic, but those who did choose to enter the profession would be rewarded for their efforts.

“For those who are up for the challenge, it will test you but also give a high degree of satisfaction,” he said.

“It is an opportunity to express compassion in very real ways on a daily basis, and that can be very satisfying.”

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