The Queensland Ambulance Service has been providing the Logan area CPR and first aid training since the early 1990s in an effort to empower the local community to care for each other before the ambulance arrives.
This training has evolved to include both free training in the form of volunteer-led CPR Awareness training as well as certified CPR and First Aid training delivered to workplaces and in public settings.
“Every day, paramedics see that having someone nearby who can begin CPR, and even better have access to an automatic defibrillator, increases the chances of a person surviving cardiac arrest,” trainer Stephen Turner said.
“Building a robust community through these classes is playing an important role in not just saving lives, but providing comfort to the sick and injured.”
June Nielsen is one of QAS’s local volunteers.
After first seeing a community CPR course delivered at a Neighbourhood Watch (NHW) meeting in 2003, June rapidly developed a passion for delivering this same training in her local community and commenced training immediately.
She provided free training for community groups such as NHW, scouts and family groups. It was through this volunteering that June gained contact with another training units within QAS and in 2009 began teaching certified CPR and first aid courses in workplaces and at QAS public teaching venues throughout South-East Queensland.
She was not alone on this development, with her husband Eric joining her in working hard to support QAS in all manner of volunteering.
Since 2018, and prior to coronavirus, June has been providing monthly free CPR Awareness sessions for parents and children at the Queensland Children’s Hospital.
Of recent note, June spearheaded the first Parents and Bubs first aid course aligned with Gold Coast University Hospitals Waijungbah Jarjums, a service focused on getting the best outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mums and bubs.
Approaching her 20th year volunteering with QAS, June continues to work as hard as ever and has maintained her passion for community education throughout.
