AESM Vol 18-Issue 2 2020

VOL 18: Isssue 2, 2020
ANZAC DAY
LEST WE FORGET

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FEATURE
CONTENTS
FEATURE
Where are we with
a Coronavirus
Vaccine
“
ANZAC DAY
IT’S TIME TO
SERVE THOSE
WHO HAVE
SERVED
Nearly 1 in
5 serving Australian
Defence Force (ADF)
personnel were
estimated to have
sought help for stressrelated,
emotional,
mental health or
family problems over
a 12 month period
21
“
A closer look at the
structure of the
coronavirus and the
development of a
potential vaccine.
11
FEATURE
Helping Emergency
Service Workers
Recover after a
National Crisis
The impact of trauma
on Emergency Service
Workers after the recent
bushfire season
Pandemic Drones
- Useful or the
beginning of a police
state?
From delivering medical
supplies, to helping keep
people indoors – drones can
do a lot in a pandemic, so
what is the downside?
33
25
In Memoriam
A tribute to WW2 veteran
Arnold William Forrester.
Arnold sadly passed away
this year. He was the last
member of the 39th Infantry
Battalion of the Kokoda Track
campaign.
The Great War
WW 1
An examination of The Great
War, WW1. How it began
and the impact it has had
on world politics and within
the hearts and minds of
Australian ideology.
27
17
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THE REGULARS
• Editor’s Note
4
• Recent Events
Boosting Paramedic Recruits on the Frontline
Time to prepare for Bushfire season 2020
NSW Junior Lifesaver of the Year Awards
• Emergency Law with Dr Michael Eburn
• Let’s Talk Mental Health with A/Prof Erin Cotter- Smith
• The Good, The Bad & The Ugly Paramedic
• In the Spotlight - Dawn Hartog Toolangi FIre Brigade
• Emergency Breaks - Mornington Peninsula, Victoria
5
6
7
9
15
31
37
39
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LET’S TALK MENTAL HEALTH
Associate Professor Erin Cotter-Smith
Course Coordinator of the School of
Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan
University. Research Consultant at The
Code 9 Foundation. Well-Being Team Co-
Lead, The Australian Red Cross.
EMERGENCY LAW
Dr Michael Eburn - PHD, Barrister
and leading expert in law relating to
emergency management & emergency
services.
THE GOOD, THE BAD &
THE UGLY PARAMEDIC
Tammie Bullard is a paramedic and
sessional lecturer based in Western
Australia. Author of The Good, The Bad
& The Ugly Paramedic
MAGAZINE CONTACTS
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IN THE SPOTLIGHT
EMERGENCY BREAKS
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EDITOR’S NOTE
Welcome to the latest edition of the Australian
Emergency Services Magazine.
Since our last edition the world as we know it has
completely changed and no one is sure that it will ever
be the same again. We have been collectively thrust
into a new world of social distancing and quarantine
that has been challenging and eye-opening. The panic
buying, pandemic chaos caught most of us off guard
and we have certainly all understood the value of our
family, friends and freedom like never before.
Our frontline workers and emergency services have
once again been called on to bear the physical, mental
and emotional toll of this latest crisis. So what can
we do? We can be there for each other. Support
our communities by staying home, keep our nurses,
paramedics and doctors safe by staying at home.
Reach out if you know someone who is struggling and
be there as a shoulder to lean on or to point them in
the right direction for support and help.
This health crisis is a double edged sword, not only
threatening our health, but the economic toll on
the country has been likened to that of the great
depression. We have also been affected by this,
however we are determined to stay present and
continue to provide quality content and information for
our dedicated readers and followers.
We wish you and your family good health in these
difficult times.
Bianca Peterson
Editor in Chief
www.ausemergencyservices.com.au
DISCLAIMER
The Australian Emergency Services Magazine
is a community educational resource
publication and does not promote itself
as a charity or fund raising institution, nor
solicit on behalf of charities and is no way
financially supported by or associated with
any government or similar institution.
Distribution of the publication is Bi-Monthly
and is circulated via a database of interested
parties, including business, subscribers,
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Every effort is made to ensure that material
presented in the Australian Emergency
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The views and opinions expressed are
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Media and its employees. The content of
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WANT TO CONTRIBUTE?
We are always looking for new
and relevant content that
our readers will enjoy. If you
would like to be featured in
the magazine there are many
options. You may have a story
you would like to share, or
perhaps be featured in our “In
the Spotlight” regular column.
Please submit all articles or
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Editor for consideration at:
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Articles should be no more than
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Australian Emergency Services
Magazine.
www.ausemergencyservices.com.au 4

RECENT EVENTS
BOOSTING PARAMEDIC
RECRUITS ON
CORONAVIRUS FRONTLINE
The Victorian Government will fasttrack
the recruitment of 120 extra
paramedics to boost the frontline of
Victoria’s coronavirus response and
help ensure all Victorians get the health
support they need when they need it.
Minister for Ambulance Services Jenny
Mikakos said the new paramedics
would be brought forward from the
next financial year, to hit the ground
from next month. She stated, “We will
need our paramedics more than ever
over the coming months, but we don’t
want to have a situation where they
have to choose between coronavirus
cases and other serious conditions
such as heart-attacks and strokes.”
“These new recruits will help us deal
with increased demand on our health
system, while ensuring all Victorians
continue to receive the lifesaving care
they deserve.”
This means Ambulance Victoria will
have the resources it needs to respond
to the coronavirus pandemic and flu
season, while still providing the very
best care to all Victorians, no matter
what their condition is.
The boost will also increase capacity in
Ambulance Victoria’s specialist areas
including the secondary triage service,
where expert nurses and paramedics
assess and provide advice to less
serious cases.
Ambulance Victoria has started the
selection process and is aiming to
recruit 60 staff in May and June.
Seriously ill patients who need
transport to access appropriate
medical care – particularly those in
regional areas – will also benefit from
additional resources for Ambulance
Victoria’s Adult Retrieval Victoria.
The patient transport service will
expand its 24-hour telephone advice
service to provide round-the-clock
telehealth, regional clinical support, coordination
and critical care retrieval for
the next six months.
The expansion means extra patient
transport officers, administrative
support officers, medical consultants,
medical coordinators and critical care
registered nurses so patients are fully
supported.
The Victorian Government has invested
a record $1 billion to deliver more
paramedics, more vehicles and more
stations. This includes a big $299
million boost in the Victorian Budget
2019/20.
The latest data shows Victoria’s
ambulances transported a massive
78,820 code 1 emergency patients
in the three months to the end of
December – 4,513 more than a year
earlier.
Despite this massive increase, our
dedicated paramedics reached 82.5
per cent of Code 1 cases across the
state within the benchmark 15 minutes,
with an average response time of 11
minutes and 29 seconds.
5
www.ausemergencyservices.com.au

RECENT EVENTS
Queensland Fire and Emergency
Services (QFES) is asking residents
to get a head start on this
year’s bushfire season by using time
at home to prepare their properties.
QFES Commissioner Greg Leach
urged the community to be proactive
in the wake of a severe 2019 bushfire
season, which burnt more than 7.7
million hectares of land and destroyed
49 houses, 68 sheds and five
commercial buildings.
“The impact of the prolonged and
heightened 2019 bushfire season
should prompt residents to spend
time now preparing,” Mr Leach said.
“All Queenslanders will remember
the intense bushfire season the state
experienced last year and how it
affected them.
“An adequately prepared property
can help reduce the severity of a
bushfire, which is why everyone in
QFES - USE THIS TIME AT
HOME TO PREPARE FOR
BUSHFIRE SEASON 2020
rural and urban areas need to take
simple steps now to prepare their
properties.
“Residents can remove leaves and
leaf litter, clear gutters, trim overhanging
branches and keep lawns
short to prevent bush and grass fires
from starting and spreading on their
property.”
Mr Leach encouraged residents to
reach out to their local Rural Fire
Service brigade if they needed assistance.
“Residents can contact their local
rural fire brigade and fire wardens for
advice, assistance and ideas on how
to prepare their individual properties,”
he said.
“We will be working to minimise the
bushfire risk, but bushfire prevention
is a community effort.
“QFES is asking, ‘what will you be
doing to prepare for a bushfire’?
Mr Leach said maintaining a Bushfire
Survival Plan was a great way to be
prepared and could be completed by
visiting the Rural Fire Service website.
“A well-thought-out plan could make
all the difference once bushfire season
is underway,” he said.
“This is because a plan should clearly
state what action will be taken if a
bushfire is in the area.
“Combined with property preparation,
a bushfire survival plan is an
effective measure individuals and
families can take ahead of this year’s
bushfire season.”
People can visit ruralfire.qld.gov.au
for more information on preparing
for bushfire season and completing a
Bushfire Survival Plan.
www.ausemergencyservices.com.au 6

RECENT EVENTS
NSW JUNIOR SURF LIFESAVERS
OF THE YEAR ANNOUNCED
The 2020 NSW Junior Lifesavers of
the Year (JLOTY) have been decided.
For the first time in its 32-year
history, the process for the selection
of the prestigious awards for 13
and 14-year old lifesavers has
been completed online due to the
COVID-19 pandemic.
Despite not being able to attend the
annual camp, the young leaders have
spent time working on their digital
presentation and interview skills.
Many have also been carrying
out tasks to assist their clubs and
communities where they can, during
the COVID-19 crisis. Everything
from engaging the younger Nippers
in online activities to helping their
club management teams with
scanning and even helping with club
presentations.
Surf Life Saving NSW Director of
Membership Kerry Clancy said
it’s fantastic to see the youngest
lifesavers in the movement step up at
this time.
“Each year the calibre of our finalists
is raised. This year is no exception
and each have been outstanding with
the move to digital interviews,” said
Clancy.
“I commend each one of our 22
finalists from right across the state
and I encourage them to continue to
be strong and enthusiastic leaders in
their clubs and branches,” she said.
This year’s presentation was hosted
on Thursday 16 April by Australian
Olympic rowing hopeful and Indoor
Rowing World Record holder Georgie
Rowe from Collaroy SLSC. Just
days after breaking the world half
marathon record, Georgie said she
was honoured to present the two
2020 NSW Junior Surf Lifesavers of
the Year with their awards.
“To have the courage and
perseverance to come this far in this
award process is an amazing feat,”
said Rowe. “They have each shown
to be valuable members of their club
and great representatives of both
their clubs and branches through
their volunteering and lifesaving skills.
“Some of them have been involved in
their clubs since they were six-years
old and the passion they have is so
inspiring,” she said. “They want to
develop some amazing projects to
help make Surf Life Saving stronger
into the future. They all have the
world at their feet and I can’t wait to
see where their passion takes them.”
The 2020 NSW Female Junior
Lifesaver of the Year is Chloe Carr
from Bungan Beach SLSC on Sydney’s
Northern Beaches.
Chloe is a virtual newcomer to Surf
Life Saving, but in her 12 months of
being a member she has achieved
her SRC (Surf Rescue Certificate),
substituted on patrols with members
she hadn’t met, if nothing else but
7
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RECENT EVENTS
Female Junior Lifesaver of the Year Chloe
Carr from Bungan Beach SLSC
to expand her knowledge and patrol
experience.
Chloe has goals and direction that will
not only take her further in Surf Life
Saving, but she has shown that she is
driven to take what she has learnt on
the beach and convert those skills to
help her in all areas of her life.
Chloe is not afraid to admit that
obtaining her SRC and participating
in the JLOTY program has boosted
her confidence, taught her how to
work in a team and even become a
better water person. Through the
JLOTY program Chloe has shown that
everyone can have a voice.
Chloe would like to encourage more
people within her community to
participate in Surf Life Saving because
she believes that learning about the
beach and her community opened
her eyes to the world and all its
possibilities.
The 2020 NSW Male Junior Lifesaver
of the Year is Kale Puata from North
Avoca SLSC on the Central Coast.
Kale has enjoyed many different
areas of Surf Life Saving since starting
as a six-year-old. The highlight for him
was being part of the Surf Life Saving
Central Coast Rookie Program.
After gaining his SRC (Surf Rescue
Certificate) he has been involved
in leadership camps, fundraising
and he also loves competing and
representing his club.
Kale would love to see a Rookie
Buddy program set up within Surf
Life Saving to help build member
confidence and experience.
The panel said Kale was very earnest
in all his responses and were
impressed with his commitment to
continue to develop as a leader in his
club and community.
This is the first time both Bungan
Beach and North Avoca lifesavers
have taken out the Junior Lifesaver of
the Year award.
Surf Life Saving NSW President
George Shales said he was thrilled
with the calibre of the finalists.
“I’m extremely proud of our 22
remarkable young lifesavers, who
Male Junior Lifesaver of the Year Kale
Puata from North Avoca SLSC
are no doubt leading the way with an
amazing team of like-minded clubmates.
Their energy is just what we
need at this time and I encourage
each of them to maintain their
positive attitude and continue their
great work into the next season.
“Congratulations to Kale and Chloe
on being named our 2020 Junior
Lifesavers of the Year. You join a long
list of highly successful and inspiring
previous winners. There are great
things ahead for you. Make the most
of every opportunity,” said Shales.
With thanks to NSW Surf Life Saving for
this article and accompanying images.
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www.ausemergencyservices.com.au 8

AUSTRALIAN EMERGENCY LAW with Dr Michael Eburn
A DISCUSSION ON
THE LAW THAT
APPLIES TO OR
AFFECTS AUSTRALIA’S
EMERGENCY SERVICES
AND EMERGENCY
MANAGEMENT
REFUSING A
PARAMEDIC
ACCESS DUE TO
COVID-19 FEARS
March 28, 2020
PHD
Barrister
Leading expert in Law
relating to Emergency
Management & Emergency
Services
Follow Michael Eburn
Facebook- facebook.com/
EburnM/
Twitter - @EburnM
For his latest articles on
Emergency Law go to:
www.emergencylaw.wordpress.com
Today’s correspondent is a
paramedic who
… received a Signal 1 job (that’s the
Victorian code for lights, sirens, urgent
response) to one of the major nursing
homes for a reported stroke patient.
On arrival at the facility, the
receptionist was unaware of why we
were there (pretty common, not a
problem). She then asked us to read
and sign a full A4 page document
with questions relating to COVID-19
inclusion criteria; have we travelled
overseas recently, have we interacted
with other people who have been
overseas recently etc.
She then insisted we submit to a
tympanic temperature test.
My partner returned a reading of 37.3
and was refused entry to the facility.
I advised the receptionist that the
normal temperature range is anywhere
between 36.5 and 37.5 degrees Celsius.
She replied that her instructions were
that nobody with a temperature over
37.2 would be permitted entry and
the recently contracted security guard
next to her desk would see those
instructions were carried out.
We were both stunned.
A paramedic employed by a
jurisdictional ambulance service is
being refused access to a patient that
on-site nurses had deemed to require
urgent care and transport.
My question to you is; is that legal?
The question ‘is that legal’ raises
so many issues because there
are so many relationships at play.
The operator of the facility has a
duty to try to minimise the risk of
COVID-19 to residents and staff,
they also have a duty to ensure that
residents get the medical care they
need. Victoria ambulance also owes
various duties to everyone involved.
The receptionist and the security
guard have obligations to obey the
directions of their employer and
you cannot expect them to know
whether 37.5o is or is not safe if
they’ve been told no-one above 37.2
o is to come in. And you may think
that’s an unreasonable and arbitrary
line but all lines are arbitrary and
we don’t know who came up with
the 37.2 line or on what basis, but
if it is a nursing home one might at
least expect that medical advice was
considered.
With all those variables the only
question I’m going to answer is
‘is it legal to exclude a paramedic
employed by Victoria ambulance’?

The Ambulance Services Act
1986 (Vic) does not give any
statutory authority to allow
Victoria Ambulance to insist on, or
force entry (compare that to the
Ambulance Services Act 1991 (Qld)
s 38 ‘Powers of authorised officers’).
There is therefore no offence in
refusing paramedics entry. (There
may be relevant offences and
obligations under nursing home
licensing legislation regarding the
proprietor’s obligations to residents
but that is about the proprietor’s
duties to the patients and that is
beyond the scope of this blog).
The common law of necessity
would suggest that paramedics
can force entry – see Paramedics
forcing entry to premises (March
25, 2014). The response has to be
proportionate however and here
they were not refusing entry to
Ambulance Victoria or to everyone,
just to one person. The other
paramedic, my correspondent could
go in and assess the patient and
other paramedics may have been
allowed in. Using force to push past
the receptionist and security guard
would not only inflame the situation
and risk injury, it may also have been
unreasonable in the circumstances.
The Ambulance Services Act 1986
(Vic) s 39B says:
At the request of an operational staff
member providing care or treatment
to a patient or attempting to provide
care or treatment to a patient,
a police officer is authorised to
remove any person who interferes
or may interfere, by his or her
presence or otherwise, with the
provision of care or treatment.
Police could have been called and
they could have ‘removed’ the
receptionist and security guard but
whether they would have done so is
another question.
Imagine a paramedic turned up,
untidy, obviously dirty uniform,
unclean hands dirt with obvious dirt
under the fingernails etc and strong
body odour suggesting that they
hadn’t had a shower for some time.
I don’t think anyone would think it
would be unreasonable for a health
facility to say ‘you’re not coming in
here’. In COVID-19 times the health
risk is not so obvious but if there are
indicia (in this case a temperature
over 37.2o ) why would the right to
refuse be any different?
Things are legal unless there is a
law that says they are not. The
Ambulance Services Act 1986 (Vic)
does not say that an occupier has to
allow access to the paramedics, and
in this case they were not refusing
access to Ambulance Victoria just
one paramedic. And if one were to
consider their duty to their residents
one cannot say that refusing
access to this one paramedic was
unreasonable where the institution
had determined an indicium for
access. Whilst that decision may
have created an increased risk
to one patient (ie they would be
assessed by one, rather than two
paramedics) it also reduced another
risk to all the residents (the risk of
introducing COVID-19). It would no
doubt be subject to a lot of expert
evidence before anyone could
determine whether the decision was
or was not a reasonable response to
the competing risks.
Conclusion
Given that they were not refusing
access to Ambulance Victoria, and
they were not refusing access for no
reason I cannot see that the action
was prohibited or unlawful. It was
not a breach of any provision of the
Ambulance Services Act 1986 (Vic).
The issue is not however ‘was the
action legal?’ but ‘was the indicia
reasonable?’ and that’s a question
for clinicians.
This article originally appeared on the
blog Australian Emergency Law (https://
emergencylaw.wordpress.com/) and is reproduced
with the permission of the author.
As a blog post it represents the author’s opinion
based on the law at the time it was written. The
blog, or this article, is not legal advice and cannot be
relied upon to determine any person’s legal position.
How the law applies to any specific situation or
event depends on all the circumstances.
If you need to determine legal rights and obligations
with respect to any event that has happened, or
some action that is proposed, you must consult
a lawyer for advice based on the particular
circumstances. Trade unions, professional
indemnity insurers and community legal centres can
all be a source for initial legal advice.
www.ausemergencyservices.com.au 10

WHERE ARE WE AT WITH
DEVELOPING A VACCINE
FOR CORONAVIRUS?
SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes
COVID-19, is changing how we live.
With a rapid increase in cases, we
are now isolating in our homes to
“flatten the curve”.
However, it will be nearly impossible
to eradicate the virus simultaneously
all around the world. And when we
do emerge from isolation, the virus
could potentially re-establish itself.
Our best chance to keep it in check
in the future will be to develop a
vaccine.
Australia’s CSIRO has just begun
testing two new vaccine candidates.
These are just two of many potential
vaccines that scientists are working
on around the world.
VACCINE DESIGN BASICS
All vaccines must contain two
components:
• the adjuvant, a molecule that
acts as a “danger signal” to
activate your immune system
• the antigen, a unique molecule
that acts as a “target” for the
immune response to the virus.
The adjuvant must be mixed with
the antigen to activate an immune
response. But you can’t induce any
old immune response – you must
trigger the right type of response for
the infection you’re targeting.
Researchers divide immune
responses broadly into those that
make:
• antibodies, which bind to the
surface of viruses to prevent
infection of cells
• T cells, which kill cells that have
become infected with the virus.
Adjuvants and antigens are selected
to induce antibody and/or T cell
responses to ensure we have the
right kind of immune response
against the right target.
The ideal vaccine would be safe,
easy to administer, simple and
cheap to manufacture, and provide
long-term protection against
COVID-19. This protection would,
hopefully, completely prevent
infection with SARS-CoV-2.
But, to begin with, we’d even be
happy with a vaccine that could
reduce the amount of virus
generated during a typical infection.
If an infected person is making less
virus, they are less likely to infect
others. Less virus could also reduce
the amount of damage caused by an
infection in the patient.
KNOW YOUR ENEMY
To design an effective vaccine for
SARS-CoV-2, we need to understand
the virus.
The genetic sequence of SARS-
CoV-2 is very similar to two other
coronaviruses – 79% identical to
the original SARS (severe acute
respiratory syndrome) from 2003,
and around 50% identical to MERS
(Middle East respiratory syndrome)
from 2012.
Researchers working on SARS and
MERS vaccines are now providing
critical basic information on vaccines
that may work for SARS-CoV-2.

KYLIE QUINN
Vice-Chancellor’s Research Fellow,
School of Health and Biomedical Sciences,
RMIT University
DAMIAN PURCELL
Professor of virology and theme leader
for viral infectious diseases,
The Peter Doherty Institute for
Infection and Immunity
This article was first published on “The Conversation”

We know COVID-19 patients who
develop severe disease have low
numbers of T cells, but we don’t have
clear evidence of whether T cells can
protect against COVID-19.
We know some experimental vaccine
designs for MERS and SARS can make
disease symptoms worse in animals,
but we don’t know whether this would
happen with SARS-CoV-2.
The basic components of a vaccine include the adjuvant and the antigen.
Since there are still a lot of
unknowns, we have to cover all
bases. Fortunately, dozens of vaccine
designs are now advancing towards
clinical testing.
Other researchers working on viral
vaccines for dengue, Zika, hepatitis C,
HIV and influenza are also pivoting to
use their knowledge for SARS-CoV-2.
The SARS-CoV-2 virus uses ribonucleic
acid (RNA) as its genetic material.
This is usually associated with high
mutation rates, which can be a
problem for vaccines, as viruses can
mutate their antigens to evade the
immune response. Fortunately, SARS-
CoV-2 seems to have a moderate rate
of mutation to date, meaning it should
be susceptible to a vaccine.
The SARS-CoV-2 viral particle is
covered by “spike” proteins. This spike
protein binds to a molecule on the
surface of lung cells called the human
angiotensin-converting enzyme 2
(ACE2).
THERE’S A LOT WE STILL DON’T
KNOW
Importantly, for SARS-CoV-2 vaccines,
we don’t yet know what type of
immune response is needed.
We know patients who recover from
COVID-19 can produce antibodies,
but we don’t know what kind of
antibodies.
VACCINES IN THE PIPELINE
Vaccine development during a
pandemic happens at a global scale
and is underway in several countries,
including Australia.
The first vaccine to make it into
clinical trials in mid-March is a lipidencapsulated
mRNA vaccine. For this
vaccine, a short piece of the genetic
material from the virus (mRNA) is
There’s a lot of spike protein on the
outside of the virus, making it a prime
target for our immune response. So
most researchers have focused on
the spike protein as an antigen for
SARS-CoV-2.
The spike protein may be a good target for a potential vaccine.
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coated with an oily layer (lipid).
The lipid helps the mRNA get inside a
person’s muscle cells, and the mRNA
provides a blueprint to make the
spike protein the antigen (target).
The mRNA itself acts as an adjuvant
(danger signal).
This vaccine is now being given to
volunteers in a phase I clinical trial in
Seattle.
The main advantage of this vaccine
is that it can be manufactured very
quickly. The DNA sequence of SARS-
CoV-2 used to design this vaccine
was first published in January and
the vaccine was ready for trials in
mid-March, which is an incredibly tight
turnaround for a vaccine.
But this type of vaccine has not been
widely used in humans and we don’t
know if it will induce robust immune
responses. While modest immunity
would be better than no immunity,
we may need additional, more potent
vaccines in the longer term.
Another type of vaccine researchers
are exploring is called a subunit
vaccine. In a subunit vaccine, the spike
protein is used as the antigen (target),
mixed with an adjuvant (danger signal)
to activate the immune system. The
shape of the spike protein must be
highly consistent to generate a robust
immune response.
A team at the University of
Queensland is using a “molecular
clamp”, which is a short piece of
protein that holds a larger protein in
the correct shape. They are working
together with CSIRO, which is now
producing large quantities of this
clamped antigen and is beginning
testing of this and other vaccines.
We’re moving through the vaccine pipeline quickly to develop a vaccine for COVID-19.
There are also newer approaches,
such as “viral vector” vaccines.
Scientists make a viral vector by taking
genetic material from SARS-CoV-2
and inserting it into a harmless virus.
When this is given to a person, the
docile viral vector can’t cause any
disease but it looks like a vicious virus
to the immune system, and so it can
generate robust immune responses.
These vaccines were rolled out rapidly
for the Ebola epidemic in West Africa
in 2014 and in Congo in 2018/19 with
promising results.
They’re on their way for SARS-CoV-2,
with CSIRO beginning to test a viral
vector called ChAdOx1.
Finally, researchers are trialling a
vaccine called “BCG”. This vaccine
was developed 112 years ago for
tuberculosis, but it seems to also
provide general health benefits.
Infants vaccinated with BCG had
better overall survival and fewer viral
respiratory infections in conditions
with higher mortality and more
circulating infections.
We don’t know how a tuberculosis
vaccine can protect against unrelated
viruses but researchers at a number
of institutions, including the Murdoch
Children’s Research Institute, are
preparing to trial the BCG vaccine
in health-care workers to see if it
reduces COVID-19 infections or
disease severity.
MOVING AT AN UNPRECEDENTED
SPEED
Vaccine development is usually a long
process involving both pre-clinical and
clinical testing. For example, it took
more than 15 years for Professor Ian
Frazer and his team to develop and
license the human papillomavirus
(HPV) vaccine.
In stark contrast, experts have
estimated a vaccine for SARS-
Cov-2 may take 12-18 months. A
huge international infrastructure is
mobilising to develop a vaccine at an
unprecedented speed.
However, safety will always be
paramount with vaccines, so
researchers are accelerating but not
skipping clinical trials. Now we eagerly
await the initial results.
www.ausemergencyservices.com.au 14

Lets Talk Mental
Health
with Associate Professor
Erin Cotter-Smith
MENTAL HEALTH ON THE FRONTLINES OF THE
COVID-19 PANDEMIC:
The risk of “moral injury”
As millions of people are currently
staying at home around the world
to minimise the transmission of
COVID-19, essential frontline workers
are doing the exact opposite. They
go to work and put themselves at
risk of exposure to help protect their
communities.
Figures reported in The Lancet
indicate that more than 3300 healthcare
workers in China had been
infected as of early March. In Italy,
around 20% of responding healthcare
workers have been infected.
Frontline workers have been
describing physical and mental
exhaustion after making difficult triage
decisions and dealing with the pain of
losing patients and colleagues – all in
the ever-present threat of exposure
and infection.
And as the pandemic continues,
access to personal protective
equipment (PPE) decreases, with
personnel in some facilities treating
patients with limited access to gloves,
masks and gowns.
15
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Impossible decisions
The COVID-19 pandemic will likely
put essential frontline workers in an
unprecedented predicament, forcing
them to make impossible decisions
around how best to allocate scant
resources to equally needy patients,
how to balance the needs of the
community with their own physical
and mental health care needs, and
how to align their duty to patients
with their duty to their families.
Making these decisions will likely
impact their mental health and
could result in the development of
what we call moral injury.
The emergence of “moral injury”
The term moral injury emerged
from work with military veterans
to describe the psychological
consequences of bearing witness to
the aftermath of human suffering
and failing to prevent distressing
outcomes.
The idea helps conceptualise the
ways in which a person’s sense of
self and the world is disrupted by
a betrayal of their sense of “what’s
right”. During a pandemic, they may
be forced to make decisions that go
against their usual standards and
moral code, resulting in negative
thoughts about themselves or
others (e.g. “I am a terrible person”
or “the decisions we made cost a
life”).
Those who develop moral injuries
are likely to experience feelings of
guilt and shame, which can result
in social isolation and emotional
numbing.
While moral injury is not a clinical
mental health condition, if left
unaddressed, these moral injuries
can go on to contribute to the
development of conditions like
depression, anxiety, post-traumatic
stress disorder (PTSD) and even
suicidal ideation.
Writing in a new analysis piece in
The BMJ Professor Neil Greenberg
and co-authors applied the concept
of moral injury to COVID-19 frontline
workers.
They outlined the relevance and
value of the concept as a framework
to help understand the mental
health challenges faced by frontline
workers - suggesting that these
types of moral injuries would
inadvertently result from their
actions - or lack of - which violate
their moral or ethical code.
It is likely that during the COVID-19
pandemic many frontline workers
will encounter situations where they
have to make difficult decisions,
where they have to withhold
potentially life-saving care because
there are not enough resources to
go around.
Some will encounter situations
where instead of being able to say
to a grieving relative “we did all we
could” - they will only be able to say,
“we did the best we could with the
resources we had available” – and
that won’t be enough.
That is the seed of a moral injury. It
will hurt, and perhaps hurt for a long
time, unless we now start to prepare
and support frontline workers who
will have to face this challenge.
What can we do to mitigate these
moral injuries?
So how can we help protect those
on the frontlines from moral injury?
Preparedness is key. Everyone on
the frontlines needs to be aware of
the moral dilemmas that they are
likely to face.
Professor Neil Greenberg said that
there is a real and pressing need
to acknowledge the mental health
challenges that healthcare workers
will face over the coming months in
order that the right support is made
available to them in a timely fashion.
Social support will be useful in
the management of psychological
distress but where shame is an
element of the distress, social
contact and asking for help will
often be avoided. Those on the
frontlines should therefore be
actively encouraged to talk about
their experiences within the safety
of groups who have had to make
similarly difficult decisions.
Furthermore, essential frontline
workers should be adequately
prepared to face the moral
dilemmas that will be associated
with the pandemic, meaning they
Associate Professor
Erin Cotter-Smith
PhD, MPH, MClinEpi
Course Coordinator
Edith Cowan University
Research Consultant
The Code 9 Foundation
need to provided with a full and
realistic assessment of what they will
likely face – and the decisions they
may need to make.
Leaders should help make sense
of morally challenging decisions
through active discussion and
by encouraging the use of peer
support programs. It is also integral
that leaders are aware that no one
on the frontlines is invulnerable to
moral injury - even the most resilient
team members may become
overwhelmed.
There is a need to ensure that all
those providing vital functions on
the frontlines of this pandemic are
supported through any difficult
decision-making processes.
And after the pandemic is over…
We will need to take the time to
reflect on - and learn from - the
extraordinarily difficult experiences
of frontline workers the world over
in order to create a meaningful,
rather than traumatic, narrative.
www.ausemergencyservices.com.au 16

GROWTH THROUGH TRAUMA
HOW EMERGENCY
SERVICE WORKERS
CAN RECOVER AND
MOVE FORWARD IN
THE AFTERMATH OF A
NATIONAL CRISIS
It’s been a challenging start to
the year for many people – but
for Australians, the current
COVID-19 crisis is not the first we’ve
faced this year. Indeed, Australia’s
recent bushfire crisis has made
history as one of the largest and
most catastrophic natural disasters
on record. Garnering worldwide
attention, the fires ravaged homes,
wildlife, and millions of acres of
Australian bushland, leaving behind
little more than blackened debris. At
the peak of the crisis, smoke clouds
were even visible from space. But
despite the widespread destruction,
not all of the damage inflicted has
been as clear to see. For emergency
service workers suffering posttraumatic
stress and anxiety, it’s the
invisible bruises that are often the
most difficult to heal.
In an interview with a major
newspaper, former Fire and Rescue
NSW Commissioner Greg Mullins
voiced concerns about the welfare
of firefighters in the heart of the
crisis, reporting many were traveling
long distances to work 12-hour
shifts in gruelling conditions with
“nothing left in the tank”. The same
could be said for the hundreds of
SES workers and paramedics, who
no doubt faced equally horrific
scenes rescuing and treating
distressed residents. Indeed, it is
likely the same reality currently
facing the hundreds of thousands
of healthcare workers fighting to
contain the Coronavirus.
Emergency service workers play an
integral and indispensable role in
our community, and in the midst of
Stuart Taylor
CEO and
Co-founder
of Springfox
For over a decade, Stuart has engaged and
inspired with his workshops, keynotes and
conference presentations to more than 20,000
people globally with measurable impact
achieved across many organisations.
His early career included periods of rapid
advancement within organisations as diverse
as the Royal Australian Air Force, KPMG,
and Heinz, developing his broad experience
in aerospace engineering, IT, finance and
psychology.
A potentially devastating diagnosis of brain
cancer in 2002 led Stuart on a personal
journey back to physical, cognitive,
emotional and spiritual health. The
experience gave Stuart a unique appreciation
of the tangible benefits of the practices that
helped him overcome a 2.5-year prognosis
and demanding cancer treatments.
Stuart became a strong advocate for
incorporating cultural practices into the
Australian workplace to nurture wellbeing
through the body, heart, mind and spirit.
Stuart formalised this resolve in 2003,
founding The Resilience Institute in Australia
- now Springfox.
Stuart’s broadened perspective and empathybased
approach enables him to identify
challenges and customise effective strategies
for clients seeking optimal organisational
performance. Stuart’s ultimate purpose is
helping people and organisations, typically
through leadership and senior teams, shift
into a more compassionate space in order to
reach sustainable high performance.
www.springfox.com

a crisis, it can be all too easy for these
everyday heroes to disregard their
own well-being. This is something we
witnessed during the recent bushfire
crisis, and something we’re seeing
again now as COVID-19 sweeps
across the globe. Yet despite the
stress and high stakes of working
on the frontline in the heat of the
moment, it’s typically in the months
following an event that emotional and
mental trauma is most acute.
The consequences of trauma are
significant for anyone, but for
emergency service workers in
particular, there’s often a lot more
on the line. On a professional
level, the impact of trauma can
lead to impaired performance,
slower reaction times, and difficulty
communicating or making decisions.
This can also extend outside the
workplace leading to strained
relationships, anxiety, withdrawal,
sleep difficulties and depression.
Knowing how to recognise, recover
from and move forward after trauma
is a vital part of looking after our
health and well-being, especially
for those in a line of work that so
frequently encounters chaos and
distress.
RECOGNISE & RECUPERATE
Not everyone will feel diminished by a
traumatic event, but many will – and
it’s important to be able to recognise
even the more subtle symptoms, as
well as those that may be developing
months after. For firefighters and
emergency service workers, this may
already be a reality; for healthcare
workers currently dealing with an
influx of virus cases, this is likely
around the corner. Mood changes
like increased agitation, irritability or
hostility and feelings of hopelessness,
guilt or self-depreciation are key
indicators of emotional trauma. You
may also experience a loss of interest
or pleasure in previously enjoyed
activities and may feel a sense of
detachment from those around you.
The first step in recovering from
trauma is to be patient and allow
yourself time to recuperate. The
nature of emergency service work is
undeniably demanding but carrying
on with the job while suffering
emotional trauma will only worsen
mental ill-health in the long term.
Especially in the aftermath of a crisis,
taking adequate time off to rest
and restore yourself mentally and
physically is vital. Surround yourself
with trusted friends and family
who can provide non-judgemental
support and seek professional
help from a qualified counsellor if
you’re struggling to process your
thoughts and feelings. Talking
about traumatic experiences can
be extremely confronting but it also
plays a significant role in recovery
and growth.
REPLACE PERFECTIONISM WITH
PERSPECTIVE
Emergency service work presents a
challenge unlike any other profession.
In complex and unpredictable
environments, police, firefighters and
paramedics typically have little to no
control – circumstances can change
rapidly, and there is often a high risk
of injury or death. This puts immense
pressure on those providing aid,
where the inability to achieve a
desired outcome can lead to a sense
of guilt or failure.
This is where emergency service
workers must seek perspective,
especially when recovering from
trauma. For those who dedicate
their lives to helping others, it will
often feel natural to operate from
a place of sympathy or over-caring,
where there is an unrealistic desire
to solve every problem. Yet in highrisk
situations where very little can
be controlled, this is simply not
possible. In order to both nurture
positive mental health and achieve
optimal performance, emergency
service workers must shift to
operate from a place of compassion,
rather than sympathy. Springfox
defines operating with compassion

as managing factors within your
control and assisting to the best of
your ability, while recognising your
limitations. Particularly for those
dealing with trauma, this shift in
perspective is critical in lifting the
burden of responsibility and paving
the way for recovery.
BUILD RESILIENCE TO PREVENT
FUTURE TRAUMA
The saying goes that time heals all
wounds, yet in many cases this is only
a half truth. Months after the worst of
the bushfires have been contained,
exhaustion and physical injuries will
likely be beginning to heal – but when
it comes to emotional trauma, there
is more that must be done in order to
fully recover from and prevent further
damage.
Building mental and physical
resilience is the first and arguably
most important step in this process.
Our recent Global Resilience Report
found that proactively investing in
resilience reduces symptoms of
distress and physical vulnerability by
up to 30%. As well as seeking comfort
from loved ones and professional
support from a qualified counsellor,
trauma recovery requires a conscious
shift in thinking or perspective. Rather
than focusing on failings or situations
beyond your control, remind yourself
of your strengths and consider
the positive impact your work has
enabled you to contribute. This shift
in thinking will allow you to reframe
your experiences and your role
at work more broadly, providing a
means to construct a positive ending
to an otherwise negative story.
Bolster these cognitive efforts by
implementing practical daily habits to
aid recovery and support overall wellbeing.
Prioritise rest and sleep and
aim for a solid 7-8 hours per night,
and consume a nourishing, balanced
diet to ensure your mind and body
are receiving essential nutrients.
Make time wherever possible for at
least 30 minutes of physical exercise
a day, even if this is simply an evening
walk after dinner. These seemingly
insignificant habits play a crucial role
in enabling well-being by forming,
in effect, a preventative scaffolding
to support us in times of trauma.
Without this structure to support us,
we are particularly vulnerable to the
emotional impact of a crisis.
Growing through a traumatic
experience can be a challenging
process, but it is one worth pursuing.
It’s a process that begins with
recognition and recovery and ends
with an enhanced mindset and a
greater sense of purpose. For the
men and women who dedicate their
lives to serving others, trauma is an
unfortunate but inevitable part of
the job – but through taking time to
pause, reframe and prioritise wellbeing,
emergency service workers
can better equip themselves for the
next time duty calls.
Stuart Taylor - CEO & CoFounder of Springfox
Traumatic Stress Clinic
Sydney Australia
()
02 8627 3314
@
www.ausemergencyservices.com.au 20

ANZAC DAY 2020
Lest We Forget

NOW IS THE TIME TO
HONOUR AND SERVE
THOSE WHO HAVE
SERVED US
With Anzac Day fast approaching, it’s time to not only thank the brave veterans
who have nobly served this country, but to also ensure that our country is
serving them in return.
Words: Jess LeFanu
The Department of Veterans’
Affairs (DVA) and The Australian
Institute of Health and Welfare
(AIHW) have recently established
a 4-year strategic partnership that
seeks to create a comprehensive
profile of the health and welfare of
Australia’s veteran population. From
2017 to 2021, the two groups look
to determine how the needs of
veterans differ from those of
the general population.
It seems the mental health
of our former defence
members is of the greatest
concern. With a report from
the AIHW recording that
2010, nearly 1 in
5 serving Australian
Defence Force (ADF)
personnel were estimated
to have sought help for
stress-related, emotional,
mental health or family
problems over a 12 month period, it’s no
wonder the health and welfare of these
individuals is in need of closer attention.
More recently, the National Hospital
in Morbidity Database found that anxiety
disorders, which includes Post Traumatic
Stress Disorder (PTSD), were the most
common reason for Department of
Defence-funded hospitalisations for
men aged 18-54 in 2015-16. The
same was recorded for DVA-funded
hospitalisations during that time for

men aged 55 and over, highlighting a
worrying trend in the wellbeing of our
veterans.
Unfortunately, the breakdown of
mental health can lead to other more
troubling circumstances. According
to findings from the Homelessness
Amongst Australian Veterans research
project released last year, almost
5,800 defence veterans experienced
homelessness in a 12 month period,
indicating a far bigger issue than what
has previously been suggested.
The research project aptly
determined that defence
veterans are more likely to
be homeless than other
people in the Australian
community. With the
homelessness rate for the
general population
sitting at 1.9 percent,
researchers were
surprised to
calculate a
percentage
of 5.3 among
veterans who have
recently left the ADF.
These significant figures tend to
suggest a lack of adequate policies
in place for our veterans. However,
the DVA and Department of Defence
currently offer a housing assistance
program with the sole aim of
supporting individuals in maintaining
housing and avoiding homelessness
through a variety of services including
rent assistance and social housing
options.
Remarkably, a report from the AIHW
in 2017-2018 showed the ex-serving
defense members’ use of these
homelessness services was actually
lower than that of the Australian
population - 1.1% compared with 3.4%
- suggesting that the issue may lie with
veterans being reluctant to ask for
assistance in the first place.
Yet another concerning trend
among the ex-military men of our
country is their rate of imprisonment.
According to an Australian prison audit
conducted in South Australia last year,
ex-service members are imprisoned
twice as often as men in the general
Australian population.
Unfortunately, the lack of support
for the mental health issues affecting
these individuals is then worsened
when they are incarcerated because
the Department of Veterans Affairs no
longer provides assistance.
Without proper support networks
and rehabilitation services in place
for the mental wellbeing of these
imprisoned ex-servicemen, there
is a real possibility of remaining in
the detrimental cycle of offending
and reoffending or even more dire
consequences.
Perhaps the greatest concern within
the Australian Defence Force and
the wider Australian community is
about suicide among serving and exserving
ADF personnel, with ex-serving
members, in particular, facing an
increased risk. Alarmingly, the suicide
rate for ex-servicemen is nearly 20%
higher than the national average, with
ex-servicewomen twice as likely to take
their own lives compared with other
Australian women.
Additional data from the Australian
Institute of Health and Welfare
suggests that ex-serving men aged
between 18-29 have a higher
suicide rate when compared
with Australian men of the
same age. The same AIHW
report also recorded 419
suicides from 2001-2017
in serving, reserve
and ex-serving
Australian Defence
Force personnel
who have served
since 2001,
encouraging the
government to
introduce further suicide
prevention and mental
health support services for both
personnel and their families.
The Federal Minister for Veterans
and Defence Personnel Darren
Chester described the deaths within
the veteran community as ‘tragic.’
He added, “The only acceptable
number [of suicides] is zero. There
are improvements being made...but I
know more can be done to ensure we
are supporting our veterans and their
families now and into the future.”
Earlier this year, Prime Minister Scott
Morrison made the announcement
that Australia will set up an
independent body to investigate
military veteran suicides. Backed by
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$40 million of government funding,
the body will be led by a permanent
commissioner who will explore and
recommend ways to boost mental
health within Australia’s armed forces.
A Veteran Family Advocate will also
be appointed to represent the views
of veterans and their families, shape
policy and advocate for changes to
current veteran services and benefits
on offer.
The Department of Veterans’ Affairs
estimated, as of 30 June 2018, that
there were 641,000 living Australian
veterans who have ever served in the
ADF. For current serving members,
the Department of Defence provides
health care that covers a range of
services including primary health care,
dental care, mental health services,
hospital care, rehabilitation and
specialist services.
For those that have transitioned to
civilian life, health care services are
available under the same conditions
that apply to everyday Australians,
including Medicare and private sector
services. However, veterans may also
be entitled to a range of support
provided and funded by the DVA. This
support consists of health and welfare
services that include counselling in
addition to medical, pharmaceutical
and specialist services.
Additional support is also available
to assist with the transition from
military to civilian life and covers career
counseling, financial information,
employment and interview skills,
training and education, and more.
These vital services, along with
others supported by the DVA and
Department of Defence, look to be
improved through the independent
body promised by the Prime Minister.
The high rate of homeless and
imprisoned veterans, along with a
disturbing spike in the suicide rate of
ex-members, seems to highlight the
challenges some veterans may face
transitioning from military service back
to civilian life. It has been suggested
that certain aspects of military service
can make it challenging to maintain
relationships and social support once
they leave the defence force, which
is why it is essential that our veterans
receive appropriate resources.
Thankfully, the Australian government
seems to be taking a step in the right
direction in regards to veteran services
as they bring to light the issues
affecting our ADF personnel. As Prime
Minister Morrison said in a statement,
“Those veterans and all serving men
and women protect our community
and our freedoms. It is our duty to do
the same for them.”
If you or someone you know needs
help, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14
or visit lifeline.com.au for additional
resources.
Open Arms Veterans & Families
Counselling provides mental health
and wellbeing support for current and
ex-serving Australian Defence Force
personnel and their families. Visit
openarms.gov.au or phone 1800 011
046 for assistance.
info@silverspade.com.au
CANADA BAY NSW 2046
www.silverspade.com.au 0410 101 011
www.ausemergencyservices.com.au 24

In Memoriam
ARNOLD FORRESTER
Words: Jess LeFanu
Images: Australian War Museum

Born in Daylesford on the 25th
of August 1919, Arnold William
Forrester spent his early childhood
moving between rural mining
towns in country Victoria. As the
Great Depression began crippling
the country, 10-year-old Arnold
went to live in Melbourne with his
great aunt. There, he continued his
schooling until turning fourteen and
going to work at the Preston Hosiery
Factory.
When WWII began in 1939, the
factory became a reserved industry
and took on numerous government
contracts. Shifting its focus from the
production of stockings, the Preston
Hosiery started making thousands
of long wool socks for enlisted
soldiers overseas.
Over the next two years, the war
intensified in the Pacific and Arnold
was called up to join the army just
a couple months after his 21st
birthday. Shortly after receiving the
call-up notice by mail, he joined the
57/60th Battalion and spent only a
few days “country bush training” in
Seymour, VIC before being informed
that a special unit was being
created.
Ten men from Arnold’s battalion
were required for the new unit
being sent to Bacchus Marsh and
when no volunteers emerged,
names were simply drawn from
a hat. The tenth name selected
belonged to an eighteen year old
boy with a widowed mother back at
home. When the poor lad became
emotional over being chosen, the
decision was made to redraw.
Arnold Forrester was the next name
pulled from that hat, thus propelling
him into the now infamous 39th
Infantry Battalion.
Approximately ten weeks from
the time Arnold initially joined
the 57/60th, it was time for him
to set sail out of Woolloomooloo.
With no proper training for the
jungle conditions he would soon
experience and only “a bit” of
rifle shooting on the range, he
boarded the Aquitania as one of two
thousand soldiers from the 53rd
and 39th Battalions on their way to
Papua New Guinea.
Arnold Forrester was a company
runner during the battles against
the Japanese on the Kokoda Track
in 1942. The 39th Battalion spent
nine days traversing through rain
and thick mud, crawling on hands
and knees to make it over the almost
vertical peaks of the dense jungle
terrain. Walking for eight hours a day
and enduring intensely cold nights,
these brave soldiers became an
integral part of the Battle of Isurava.
It was while withdrawing from
this particular battle that Arnold
Forrester became instilled in
Australian war history as part of the
infamous photo by award-winning
war cinematographer, Damien Parer.
The image captures Arnold and five
other men from his battalion smiling
and carrying rifles as their shoes sink
deep in the muddy Kokoda Track.
In a 2004 interview for the
Australians at War Film Archive, Mr.
Forrester spoke about not recalling
the day the photo was taken. He
said, “I don’t know anything about
it. I don’t remember. We were just
happy to be relieved and getting
out.”
After the war ended, Arnold headed
back to country Victoria and worked
briefly for the Forestry Commission
before spending 28 years at the
largest fish hatchery in the state.
On his 60th birthday in 1979, he
was awarded a Queen’s Medal for
his long and faithful service. Invited
to Government House for the
presentation, he stood beside fellow
medal recipients Ron Barassi and
Stirling Moss.
Mr. Forrester relocated to Townsville
in his later years, but remained
friends with all the men featured in
the iconic war photo. They gathered
once a year for dinners held by the
Kokoda Track Foundation and also
at reunions for the 39th Infantry
Battalion.
Over the years, Arnold attended
numerous Anzac Day celebrations
including one memorable service
back on Papua New Guinean soil.
Gathered at dawn, onlookers watched
as a group of present day soldiers
were brought over on a barge to
recreate the beach landing that
took place all those years ago. Mr.
Forrester said to the Australian at
War Film Archive about the service,
“It’s all very, you know, it brings back
memories.”
A veteran through and through,
Arnold Forrester was outraged in
2011 when the decision was made
to ban WWII Diggers from marching
in the Townsville Anzac Day parade.
Presented with the option of riding in
a restored military vehicle so as not to
slow down proceedings, the then 91
year old told the Townsville Bulletin,
“It is a march all said and done and in
my book, we should be able to march
if we are able. We won’t hold up
proceedings.”
Still going strong, Mr. Forrester
celebrated his 100th birthday in
August 2019 surrounded by friends
and family. He was proud to have
received letters from Prime Minister
Scott Morrison and Queen Elizabeth
II on the day. His daughter, Margaret
Pavlovic, told 7NEWS Townsville, “He’s
the most incredible person for his
age, still got his faculties and still has
a sense of humour.”
Arnold William Forrester passed away
in February of this year and was the
last surviving veteran of the wellknown
Kokoda Track photograph
that has been printed in history
textbooks and proudly displayed in
war memorials. He was a celebrated
WWII soldier who bravely fought for
his country and will be remembered
by many this Anzac Day and into the
future.

THE GREAT WAR
WW1
An examination of how and why this event
unfolded, its impact at the time, and its relevance
to politics today.
Romain Fathi
Lecturer, History, Flinders University

In October 1918, a young man was
temporarily blinded on the Western
Front and evacuated to hospital.
For four long years, he had served in
the German Army alongside 11 million
men.
Whether his blindness came from a gas
attack or a sudden bout of nerves is
still being debated. But it is clear that,
like hundreds of millions of people
at the time, his wartime experience
shaped the rest of his life.
This was during the first world war –
the foundational event of the violent
20th century – and that young man
was Adolf Hitler.
WHAT HAPPENED?
Sparked in the Balkans as a result of
European nationalism and imperial
rivalries, the first world war raged from
July 1914 to November 1918. It pitted
the 48 million soldiers of the Allies –
led by the French, British and Russian
empires – against the 26 million
soldiers of the Central Powers – led by
the German, Austro-Hungarian and
Ottoman empires, who lost the war.
It was a truly global conflict fought on
battlefields across the world, but also
on the home front – in people’s living
rooms, fields and factories.
THE IMPACT OF THE GREAT WAR
Over four long years, the world
collapsed in what was then the largest
industrial war ever fought. The conflict
left over 10 million soldiers and 6
million civilians dead.
Over 20 million men were wounded
– both physically and mentally –
rendering them unable to resume
civilian life. What’s more, the war
facilitated the spreading of the Spanish
flu pandemic, which killed at least 50
million people in 1918-19.
AND FOR WHAT?
The Allies’ “victory” in 1918 did not
result in a safer and better world, and
the first world war failed to become
the “war to end all wars”.
Conflict raged on in the Middle East
and colonial outposts right through the
1920s. For many, war did not stop with
the Armistice of November 11, 1918.
In fact, given the scale of devastation
across Europe, it is not clear who won
what.

“Winners” and “losers” alike
lost population, resources and
infrastructure. Yes, there were marginal
gains here and there for some, but
most countries came out of the
bloodshed crippled financially. Some
were politically crippled, too.
Perhaps one clear winner did emerge
from the conflict, however: the United
States.
The US sold materials and lent money
to the Allies during the war and,
as a result, amassed gold reserves
that underpinned its post-war
global economic dominance, while
other countries were gripped in an
inflationary spiral.
To a lesser extent, Japan, too, benefited
from the conflict. Fighting on the same
side as the Allies fuelled the country’s
militarisation and imperial ambitions in
Asia.
Another outcome of the war was
the disintegration of the centuriesold
Austro-Hungarian, Russian and
Ottoman empires, alongside the more
recently-formed German empire,
forever transforming the world’s
political landscape.
The first world war also prompted
the Russian Revolution, which further
altered the course of the 20th century.
The “winners” were not immune from
turbulence, either. France and Britain
were confronted to various challenges
in the colonies that had supported
them throughout the conflict, in
Africa or in India for instance. Local
populations demanded more autonomy
and at times even rebelled against their
colonial masters.
The new world that emerged from this
global conflict was one filled with hope,
but riven by unrest, revolutions and
ethnic conflicts.
A chaplain reads the burial service beside the grave of a fallen Australian in a cemetery in a wood.
A series of peace treaties, the most
memorable one being the Treaty of
Versailles of June 1919, endeavoured
to secure and build a global peace,
laying the basis for new international
institutions such as the League of
Nations. Its role was to prevent future
wars through conflict resolution and
diplomacy. But the treaty also required
the demilitarisation of Germany,
demanded that Germany acknowledge
its responsibility for causing the war,
and inflicted severe war reparations on
the country.
The end of the fighting also brought
more challenges. Tens of millions of
soldiers were demobilised and returned
home, prompting issues related to
public health, unemployment and
domestic violence. Hitler, for example,
returned to Munich with no family, no
career prospects and no place to stay.
He would resent the Treaty of Versailles
his whole life, and claim that Germany
was not defeated on the battlefield, but
stabbed in the back by internal enemies
– the Jews, the left and the republicans.
But let it not be said that the first
world war caused the second, nor that
it made Hitler who he subsequently
became. In the late 1920s, Germany
was doing pretty well under the Weimar
Republic – so well that this period was
dubbed “the Golden Age”. Pacifism
was a strong bipartisan force in 1930s
France, Britain and Belgium. Another
future was entirely possible.
CONTEMPORARY RELEVANCE
Yet, in the inter-wars years, the
repercussions of the first world war
remained omnipresent.
Old empires had left a vacuum for
new states like Poland, Yugoslavia
and Czechoslovakia to form, and the
borders of those new states were soon
contested.
Even the 1929 financial crash was partly
related to the first world war. This was
because states accumulated debt to
finance the conflict, and their debt
increased even more as they continued
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orrowing to pay war reparations after
the war had ended. This contributed to
global inflation and financial insecurity,
two factors of the 1929 crash. The first
world war – or rather, its consequences
– seemed endless.
And it is those consequences which
undeniably created some of the
conditions which set the second global
conflict ablaze. Not least through
armament, such as tanks, military
aviation, submarines, chemical weapons
– all of which became weapons of
choice during the first world war and
played a crucial role in the second.
But the second world war had its own
intrinsic causes not directly related
to the first world war. These included
the development of new totalitarian
ideologies, mass media, anti-Semitism,
and the failures of the League of
Nations as well as liberal democracies
to oppose dangerous regimes.
Interestingly, some historical actors and
historians believe that the two world
wars cannot be separated, and form, in
fact, a Thirty Years’ War.
Certainly, the repercussions of the
first world war are still being felt
today. Intergenerational grief and
family history spurs hundreds of
thousands of people to engage in digital
commemorations or commemorative
tourism at former battlefields.
The land, too, remains deeply affected.
In Belgium and France, for instance,
war-time explosive devices continue
to kill people, and will still be found for
hundreds of years to come.
to the first world war. The Middle East
is a case in point. Decisions taken
during and after the war laid the basis
for ongoing conflicts due to contested
boundaries and spheres of influences
in the region.
The end of the war was not the victory
the Allies claimed it was. But politicians
and military leaders had to justify the
dead and the enormous sacrifices
they had demanded from their people.
Thinking back, the most chilling part of
the vain bloodbath is that the citizens of
the belligerent nations did support the
war and its sacrifices for years, some
until the breaking point of revolt.
The first world war was a turning point
in history as it irremediably altered
political, economic, social and cultural
life around the globe. First world war
studies remain one of the most active
fields of historical research today
precisely because of the relevance of
the conflict throughout the 20th and
21st centuries.
Understanding the first world war is
thus an exercise in comprehending
the depth of human commitment to
destruction, violence and resilience at
a scale never experienced before 1914.
But it also reminds us of the fragility of
peace, and of our duty as citizens to
remain vigilant of nationalism.
This article was first published on “The Conversation”
In some places, the soil is so
contaminated by chemical agents from
the first world war that nothing has
grown there since.
Finally, much of the geopolitical
struggles of modern times date back
A group of soldiers standing below a parapet with sandbags after being damaged by enemy shells.
_
www.ausemergencyservices.com.au 30

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
PARAMEDIC
Tammie Bullard is a paramedic and sessional lecturer based
in Western Australia. Author of The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
Paramedic - A pain free approach to best patient care and
professionalism.
FRONTLINE EMPATHY IS A
TWO-WAY STREET
Empathy may be a confusing and
contrary word but it is one with great
value, particularly in providing a buffer
against professional burnout and in
building positive relationships with
patients. As one of those “soft skills”
integral to the paramedic’s toolkit, it
is encouraging to see how widely its
importance is increasingly promoted in
training, service delivery, leadership and
culture.
Confusion arises, for the most part,
around the definition itself. Amongst
similar concepts of sympathy,
compassion, mimpathy, compathy,
unipathy and transpathy, each holds
different meaning to the individual.
For simplicity’s sake, a broad
overview of empathy may be that of
understanding how another may feel in
any given situation. Whilst compassion
and sympathy are often used
interchangeably, they are considered
less developed, more reactive
counterparts to the higher level of skill
involved in being empathetic.
In the current climate, paramedics are
feeling both the warmth of widespread
empathy, for the role we are playing in
pandemia, and the contrasting cold of
its absence. Unintentional though this
may be, the chill occurs when we are
feared as potential contaminants, or
dismissed, as we have no central hub
to safely contain ourselves within, or
forge solidarity against the danger of the
outside world.
Never before has it been more obvious
that maintaining empathy must not be
forgotten or taken for granted. It’s a twoway
street whether we’re in the midst
of a pandemic or stepping through the
routine of everyday life.
With the mutual co-operation of
experienced, empathetic road users,
both directions can flow in synchronicity.
Keeping to our expected paths,
indicating intentions, acknowledging
courteous behaviour with thanks and
resisting the urge to yell aggressively
demonstrate our understanding.
Respecting and following directions
or signs, exercising patience when
deviations arise and slowing down to
give way when necessary make our
empathetic approach to the situation
obvious.
So how does this apply to prehospital
roles?
PATIENTS
We became paramedics with the aim of
caring for patients during emergencies.
Attempting to briefly understand their
situation and how they may feel, can
help us to deliver the best type of care.
It might be “just another call for chest
pain” but labelling it such may render
us blind to their needs and decrease
patient satisfaction. In return, anger and
complaints become more likely with a
possible compromise to our physical,
professional and psychological safety.
BYSTANDERS
Passers-by don’t sign up for
emergencies they unexpectedly find
themselves involved in. They stop to
assist out of kindness or for a myriad of
other reasons. An empathetic approach
to enlisting their help, or moving them
along, may gain reciprocal attention and
co-operation more easily whilst reducing
unnecessary frustration. Theirs as well
as our own!
COLLEAGUES
We wear the same uniform, but we’re
not necessarily the same people. Whilst
it’s easy to assume that someone
may be better or worse off, based
on what little we know, unless we are
intimately connected, the reality is that
we have no idea. Maintaining empathy
for colleagues, without preconceived
opinion, may help to create unity and
decrease work-based stress, whilst oneupmanship
and pity contests only widen
any divide.
SUPPORT STAFF
No matter our understanding of the
other’s roles, frontline and support staff
work in vastly different environments.
The nature of emergency services is that
interaction between the two is limited,
or non-existent, therefore throwaway
comments regarding perceived
demands, habits and attitudes to
work quickly become inflammatory.
Particularly as they are most often
delivered by third parties interacting
between both areas. Bi-directional
empathy may be integral in avoiding
resentment and increasing mutual
respect, when the ability to build inperson
relationships, cannot exist.
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THE ORGANISATIONS WE WORK FOR
Whilst more difficult to adopt,
embracing this approach may benefit
morale, motivation and mindset.
Every ambulance service is made up
of a group of humans surrounded
by infrastructure. That’s it. If we
aim to understand and therefore
empathise with how any service, as
a whole, aims to fulfil its purpose,
we gain clearer individual direction
and reduced exposure to the stress
caused by confusion or overwhelm.
We may find ways of working with
others to make this happen. We may
realise that, individually, we do not
fit the organisation’s overarching
aims and begin seeking alternative
career pathways. We may strive for a
leadership role in which we can attempt
to promote positive change. We may
simply free ourselves from the shackles
of frustration by taking the “personal”
out of the “entity” with an empathetic
overview of that entity’s goal, potentially
increasing our professional longevity.
INTERPROFESSIONAL SERVICE
PROVIDERS
Interactions with police, firefighters,
other emergency services, nurses,
doctors, patient care assistants,
nursing home staff, roadside recovery
technicians and multiple other
personnel are largely based on
presumption. If we can empathise with
the challenges they face, we may gain a
better understanding of their situation.
In exercising such an approach, it may
encourage similar empathy towards the
challenges we face ourselves, thereby
improving rapport.
THE PARAMEDIC PROFESSION
Overall, paramedicine garners a positive
response, but it is not something to
be taken for granted. We continually
step over the line from our territory,
into that of others, quite literally. Most
professions work at their place of
business, where patients and customers
step in, then step out. Whilst visiting,
they form an opinion of that profession,
before leaving and returning to their
own domain. Paramedics, however,
enter the domain of others for every
single call. Appearance, body language,
demeanour, words and actions
are the only tools we have to
create an impression. No
infrastructure, ambient music,
soothing smells or reception
staff to engender
positivity. If we can
use empathy and seek
to understand how
patients, families and
bystanders may perceive
our arrival and on-scene
interaction, for each call,
we are instantly equipped
with greater potential
to proceed safely and
effectively.
OUR LOVED ONES
Those that keep the home fires burning
need us to be ourselves when we are
not in uniform. If families greet us with
problems similar to three patients
we’ve encountered today, this does
not make them the fourth. The clock
has to re-set so that we can listen,
understand, validate and support
them. When they mention stressors
which seem trivial after the enormity of
what we’ve experienced during recent
shifts, we absolutely must empathise,
or risk losing meaningful connection
with others, should we dismiss their
concerns. Maintaining empathy for
those we care most deeply about, may
be vital in preventing their reluctance to
interact with us over time.
OURSELVES
We must, at all costs, maintain individual
wellbeing otherwise, as with primary
surveys, we are of no use to others
when we put ourselves in danger.
Self-empathy is pivotal in maintaining
the boundaries that each of us must
uphold, in order to feel physically and
psychologically safe.
Ultimately, during each shift, we have a
choice in whether we stick to our side of
the empathy street or not.
We can choose to travel on the opposite
side, where we continually run into
obstacles along the way until we are
left wondering why all of the other road
users are frustrated with us. Would it be
fair to still expect to bask in praise and
attention for the paramedic profession,
despite our lack of empathy and
understanding for others?
Alternatively, we can harness and
enhance this skill for the benefit
of ourselves, our families, patients,
colleagues, external associates,
organisations and the paramedic
profession. It does require some extra
effort, without doubt, but we may then
feel more deserving of the reciprocal
empathy and compassion from those
on the other side of our two-way street.
References
1. Cuff, B. M. P., Brown, S. J., Taylor, L. & Howat, D. J. (2014).
Empathy: a review of the concept. Emotion Review, 0(0), 1-10.
DOI:10.1177/1754073914558466
2. Williams, B., Lau, R., Thornton, E. & Olney, L. S. (2017). The relationship
between empathy and burnout – lessons for paramedics:
a scoping review. Psychology Research and Behavior Management,
10, 329-337. DOI:10.2147/PRBM.S145810
3. Jeffrey, D. (2016). Empathy, sympathy and compassion in healthcare:
Is there a problem? Is there a difference? Does it matter?
Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine 2016, 109(12), 446-452.
DOI:10.1177/0141076816680120
4. Soler-Gonzalez, J., San-Martin, M., Delgado-Bolton, R. & Vivanco,
L. (2017). Human connections and their roles in the occupational
well-being of healthcare professionals: a study on loneliness and
empathy. Frontiers in Psychology, 8. DOI:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01475
5. Cameron, C. D. & Inzlicht, M. (2019). Empathy choice in
physicians and non-physicians. British Journal of Psychology.
DOI:10.1111/bjso.12342
6. Gilliam, D. A. & Rayburn, S. W. (2016). Propensity for reciprocity
among frontline employees. Journal of Services Marketing, 30(3),
290-301. DOI:10.1108/JSM-05/2015-0194
7. Schaddelee, M., Turner, S. & Gill, L. (2019). Keeping it real in
changing times: pragmatic strategies to sustain empathy. Scope
(Flexible Learning), 4. DOI:10.34074/scop.5004006
To see more about “The Good, The Bad & The Ugly Paramedic”, head to
www.gbuparamedic.com or follow GBU Paramedic on social media
@gbuparamedic
@gbuparamedic
@gbuparamedic
Tammie Bullard
www.ausemergencyservices.com.au 32

‘PANDEMIC DRONES’:
USEFUL FOR ENFORCING
SOCIAL DISTANCING, OR FOR
CREATING A POLICE STATE?
Michael Richardson
Senior Research Fellow, UNSW
People in Western Australia
may soon see more than
birds in the sky, as the state’s
police force has announced plans
to deploy drones to enforce social
distancing. The drones will visit
parks, beaches and cafe strips,
ensuring people comply with the
most recent round of gathering
rules.
As COVID-19 restrictions tighten
around the world, governments are
harnessing the potential of drones.
From delivering medical supplies,
to helping keep people indoors –
drones can do a lot in a pandemic.
Since the outbreak began, China
has used drones to deliver medical
supplies and food, disinfect villages,
and even provide lighting to build
a hospital in Wuhan in nine days.
Drone medical deliveries have cut
transit times, reduced the strain
on health personnel and enabled
contactless handovers, reducing the
risk of infection.
It’s clear drones are helping combat
COVID-19, as governments use
them to control and monitor.
But these measures may be difficult
to rollback once the pandemic
passes. And safeguards will be
needed to prevent unwanted
surveillance in the future.
DRONE USE: CLEVER, QUIRKY AND
SOMETIMES CONCERNING
With cities on lockdown, drones
have shown uncanny images of
emptied urban landscapes from
Wuhan and metros across the
globe.
Social distancing has inspired some
quirky uses by individuals, including
walking the dog and asking for a
date.
But the main game has been about
control. China is using drones
to enforce quarantine rules and
deter gatherings that violate social
distancing rules.
One viral video showed a drone
scolding an elderly woman for not
wearing a mask. In some cases,
traffic police and municipal officials
used drones fitted with speakers to
order people home and break up
mahjong games.

Flying at high altitudes, drones
can help police and other officials
monitor large areas to identify those
violating restrictions. Similar tactics
are being used in Madrid and Nice,
with talk of deployment in many
other places.
A DEFENCE FOR THE ‘GOOD
DRONE’?
There are huge advantages in
sending drones into disaster zones
such as bushfires, or remote
landscapes for search and rescue.
Pilots can safely stream crucial
vision from a drone’s optical and
thermal cameras.
But while “good drones” can be
valuable in disaster, they have been
criticised for giving drone warfare
an ethical veneer by association
with humanitarian work. Some have
even argued that using drones at
all risks tainting relief work, because
militaries have played a major role
in developing drone technologies
that are also responsible for
humanitarian tragedies.
Like all technologies, the question
with drones should be about
how they are used. For instance,
inspecting the breached nuclear
reactor at Fukushima with drones is
sensible. But embedding systems of
control that can be turned against
civilians is its own disaster in the
making.
NORMALISING SURVEILLANCE
With high definition and infrared
images streamed to command
stations, China’s drones may be able
to use facial recognition to identify
specific individuals using its Social
Credit System, and fine them for
indiscretions.
This level of social control may be
appealing in a pandemic that could
cost millions of lives. But it could
also have chilling effects on social
and political life.
Surveillance tools typically work best
for social control when people know
they are being watched. Even in
liberal societies, people might think
twice about joining climate or racial
justice protests if they know they’ll
be recorded by a drone overhead.
Feeling like you’re constantly being
watched can can create a kind of
atmospheric anxiety, particularly
for marginalised groups that are
already closely monitored because
of their religion or welfare status.
Putting more drones in the sky
raises concerns about trust, privacy,
data protection and ownership. In
a crisis, those questions are often
ignored. This was clear after 9/11,
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when the world learnt the lessons of
surveillance systems and draconian
national security laws.
THE IMPACT WOULD HIT HOME
Police in the west are already
deploying drones for various
purposes, including at sporting
events in Australia. Our defence
force is buying Reaper MQ-9B
drones because they are cleared for
use in civilian airspace.
We might be fine with delivery
drones in Canberra, or disaster
drones ferrying urgent medical
supplies, but how would we feel if
they were indistinguishable from
drones piloted by police, the military
or private security companies?
A team at the University of South
Australia is currently designing a
“pandemic” drone to detect virus
symptoms such as fever and
coughing from a distance. Valuable
as that is now, this tool could easily
be used to intrusively manage the
public’s health after the crisis is over.
It can be difficult to see the long
term impacts of choices made in an
emergency. But now is the best time
for policymakers to set limits on how
drones an be used in public space.
They need to write sunset clauses
into new laws so that surveillance
and control systems are rolled back
once the pandemic eases, and
create accountability mechanisms to
ensure oversight.
This article was first published on “The Conversation”
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IN THE SPOTLIGHT
In each edition the Australian Emergency Services Magazine we feature a
profile on a person, team, partnership, squad or unit to showcase their
unique contribution to the emergency services industry. If you would like to
be featured or know someone who deserves some recognition get in touch
with our team.
From her earliest days at university
studying education, the Captain of
Toolangi Fire Brigade Dawn Hartog
knew she wanted to be on the
ground, working with communities.
She didn’t want to just be deskbound.
Then, in the way of all things,
on the ski slopes in America, she met
an Aussie bloke and found herself at
CFA as a Community Development
Coordinator. Today she is a member
of the CFA Board, works full time for
DELWP, as well as working at the
State Control Centre during incidents
and emergencies, on CFA’s District 12
Planning Committee and captaining
her home CFA brigade at Toolangi.
“I’ve been so lucky to work on tangible
examples, to see the principles
of emergency information and
fire safety communicated better
through our communities. It has
been hugely gratifying to work in
a career I love, that provides job
satisfaction whilst doing my part to
keep our communities safe, to keep
our beautiful Victoria safe”, Captain
Hartog said.
DAWN HARTOG
TOOLANGI FIRE BRIGADE
On Sunday 8 March 2019, the world celebrated International
Women’s Day. This year the CFA wanted to pay tribute to women
involved in the organisation, inspired by women and inspiring
others. With this year’s theme ‘An equal world is an enabled world’
we sat down with one of our Board Members Dawn Hartog.
“I’ve been inspired along the way
by so many of the women I’ve
worked with, that have empowered,
mentored and shaped who I am,
and the way I now support my
(contemporary) peers.”
As a former resident of Kinglake,
Captain Hartog’s toughest challenges,
and most inspiring moments,
came during Black Saturday as the
coordinator of a group of residents
through their community fireguard
group.
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“Everyone put into action what we
had learned, from the lead up, to
the support after. It brought home
several ground truths for me. We
were very lucky to come out of it
with no significant losses. I attribute
this to the bonding together, the
camaraderie we had, the knowledge
that we had each other’s backs. I felt
a deep sense of responsibility for
everyone’s safety.”
During this summer, Captain Hartog’s
own brigade, Toolangi, was lucky not
to have any fires close to home. So,
they went to help New South Wales
and north-east Victoria instead.
“We were proud to support the
efforts during those prolonged fires.
To be deployed and be part of the
fires – whether through the State
Control Centre or rotation through
the ranks – to be part of the fight,
with boots on the ground meant a
lot.”
The style of leadership that most
inspires Captain Hartog is one that
empowers strong women into
leadership positions. Last year she
was elected onto the CFA Board for
the first time.
“I am so proud to be on the Board
of an organisation I have previously
worked many years for, and an
organisation that I love. I’m proud to
join some pretty incredible women
on the Board. I have always drawn
my strength and inspiration from my
peers. They shape and inspire me on
a daily basis,” she says.
“On the ground, I actually wish that
I joined a brigade 10 years before I
finally did. Toolangi Fire Brigade is
an amazing group of people. The
camaraderie is uplifting. People roll
out the door as a team, we know our
lives are in each other’s hands. All of
us are simply there to try and do our
best.”
What Captain Hartog loves most
about her brigade is it is a true
microcosm of her community.
Many junior members, both male
and female, go on to have careers
or volunteer in fire management.
Several of the members and office
holders of the brigade are mums. A
few of these ladies joined as a result
of their children. Now she’s hoping
her own next generation – her
daughter – will be inspired to join the
CFA.
“It’s not mandatory or completely
expected obviously… but I do hope
so!”
With thanks to the Victorian CFA for this article
contribution.
www.ausemergencyservices.com.au 38

TRAVEL
Even though we can’t travel at the moment, there will be a time that we can. When
that time comes it will be important to get out there and support our domestic
tourist destinations. Now is the time to dream and plan your next holiday!
EMERGENCY
Breaks
Words: Brooke Turnbull
When we think about all the things we want to do on a short break away,
and there are many, we might often first think of a big city. Australian
capital cities are all great options for an exciting and quick break.
However, sometimes it pays to consider a location that’s away from it all.
A place to relax, restore and rejuvenate.
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For a short break like this, we would
recommend you look no further
than the Mornington Peninsula. It’s
got everything you could possibly
want or need, and you’ll find a huge
amount to do. Whether you’re
traveling by yourself, looking for a
romantic getaway or a break with the
kids, check out our top things to do
and places to stay in the Mornington
Peninsula and treat yourself.
Location:
The Mornington Peninsula is
located about 1 hour South East
of Melbourne. If you’re flying into
Melbourne, we would recommend
hiring a car so you have the freedom
to travel around the area and visit
the amazing places it has to offer.
However, if you’re short on time but
still want to visit, consider a day tour
from Melbourne.
Things to do:
The Mornington Peninsula has
an abundance of interesting and
exciting things to do and see. If you
are thinking of doing a day tour,
as your time is limited, check out
Acacia Luxury Private Tours. Acacia’s
tour guide will pick you up from
your Melbourne hotel and ferry you
wherever you wish to go in a luxury,
air-conditioned sedan.
The best part about Acacia’s Tours is
that you have full control of your own
itinerary. Simply tell your guide what
it is you enjoy, and they’ll organise a
personal, friendly and exciting tour
for you and your guests. Sightsee the
peninsula in absolute style.
Obviously, we couldn’t go to the
Mornington Peninsula and not
explore the wineries and Autumn is
the perfect time to do so.
We don’t know about you, but we
love wineries and at the top of our list
is Rare Hare. Delicious food, spunky
and tasty wines, not to mention the
vista at Willow Creek all combines
to make a fantastic visit…if you can
remember it, that is.
Rare Hare is, of course, not the
only winery around, there are
plenty of winery tours you can
take advantage of to enjoy a full
day of drinking, eating and making
merry with whomever you choose.
For an excellent winery tour
recommendation, we’d go with
Mornington Peninsula Designated
Wine Tours. They’ll take you where
you want to go and keep you safe
while doing so.
If touring is off the agenda and
you’re wishing to explore in your own
time you’ll have plenty to keep you
occupied when you visit.
The Peninsula Hot Springs is one of
the top places to visit in the area.
With a spa menu to dive right on
into and wellness packages to suit
everyone, you can relax and unwind
in one of the most unique parts of
Australia.
The Peninsula Hot Springs have
created a space where you can
reconnect within or as a couple.
Experience the bliss of thermal,
natural underwater springs that
run from underground and are
harnessed into pools and private
baths. You can enjoy the springs
in the bath house, which is family
friendly so you can bring the kids, and
starts from $35 per adult.
Or indulge in the Spa Dreaming
Centre, this is adults only and starts
from $110 per person. Finally
there are the private baths starting
from $175 per person, a space to
experience on your own or with a
loved one. Peninsula Hot Springs
also offers spa treatments that start
from $215 for the Unwind package.
This gives you all access to the
springs as well as your choice of a 60
minute treatment.
After your immersive hot springs
experience, the Peninsula Hot
Springs also have divine dining
on offer that can be served in the
Bath House Cafe or Spa Dreaming
Centre Cafe. Grazing platter menus
start from $60 per person. If you’re
looking for a relaxing getaway or to
reconnect as a couple, the Peninsula
Hot Springs is the place to go.
If exploring is right up your alley, get
lost in Australia’s oldest hedge maze
at the Ashcombe Maze and Lavender
gardens. The stunning gardens and
maze are a destination that you wont
want to miss, and neither will the
kids.
Standing at over 3 metres high and
2 metres thick, you can explore the
maze and try to find the four mosaic
flags hidden within. Once you’ve
conquered the maze, check out the
lavender labyrinth and find yourself
gazing out over the stunning hues
www.ausemergencyservices.com.au 40

of blues and purples that cover a variety of different
lavender types.
If you’re looking for something with a little more
adrenaline, head over to the Enchanted Adventure
Garden for a tree surfing adventure or to fly through
the air on their zip line. With mazes, tube slides, canopy
walks and enchanted sculptures there’s something for
everyone to do at the Enchanted Adventure Garden.
The Big Zip is our recommendation, flying on 2 different
zip lines over 300 metres of gardens and the Enchanted
Lake! Sure to get your blood pumping after relaxing in
the hot springs all day.
Peninsula Hot Springs
Finally, we can’t take you on an adventure to the
Mornington Peninsula and not recommend you head
to the beach. Sorrento Beach, St Andrews Beach and
Fingal are but a few of the gorgeous and clear waters
of the Mornington Peninsula to take a dive into (at least
if you’re not travelling in the Victorian winter). Bring
your paddle board or hire one from Peninsula Stand
Up Paddle and get amongst it. Or, if you prefer a more
gentle break, set up your beach umbrella and sit back
while enjoying a good book.
Places to stay:
As is our want, we’re giving you a range of places to stay,
from budget to luxury and we wouldn’t have it any other
way. Whether you’re looking for a family friendly place
or a cosy romantic space for two, you’ve got plenty of
options around the area.
For a romantic and rustic feel with all the modern and
luxurious amenities you expect, the Woodman Estate
is perfect for couples looking to escape for a few
nights to unwind and connect. With a wide range of
accommodation options for your budget, you can have
your pick. Garden view rooms start from $299 per night
and Spa Suites are available from $699 per night.
Dining room at The Rare Hare WInery
If your budget allows, we recommend splurging for the
Lakeside Chalet, penthouse style accommodation that
includes a private deck over the water’s edge, a spa bath
and an open fire, perfect for curling up with a glass of
wine and your special person. The Lakeside Chalet’s
start from $950 per night. The hotel offers free wifi and
Gibb Group is a dynamic Australian
property developer and asset
manager, specialising in industrial
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and business park space.
Asset Management Development Investment
Level 3, 162 Collins Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
admin@gibbgroup.com.au
0402 825 825
www.gibbgroup.com.au
41
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has an onsite restaurant that offers delicious dining in a
beautiful setting. There are also a number of activities on
offer from the hotel ranging from walking tours to water
sport facilities, or for an extra cost, take a Woodman
Estate cooking class and enjoy your fare with a glass of
wine!
If you’re travelling as a family and looking for a more
budget friendly, but no less exciting, place to stay
the Kanasta Caravan Park is exceptional. With clean,
spacious and inviting, fully self-contained cabins, starting
from $150 per night, this is the perfect place for families
to holiday in the area together, without getting under
each other’s feet.
In addition to the cabins, Kanasta also offers a point of
difference with their Retro Glamping Caravans. These
Caravans are permanent fixtures of the park and are
all beautifully maintained and affectionately named. If
you’re travelling on a budget but still want to get bang
for your buck, we highly recommend these caravans.
Starting from $120 per night, you don’t lose out in price,
and you can still stay in retro luxury. Activities wise,
Kanasta offers a brilliant children’s playground, table
tennis and a games room with arcade games. The park
is a short walk down to Rye Beach and the foreshore,
that offers a variety of dining options and activities.
Lakeside Chalets at Woodman Estate
A visit to the Mornington Peninsula is definitely one for
the bucket list. An array of options for whatever style of
holiday suits you; quiet and immersive or action packed,
this place has it all. Autumn is the perfect time to visit as
the seasons change. The weather cools, the leaves fall
and there are plenty of local events that kick off as the
grape harvest time begins.
Enjoy your break!
Editor’s note: Even though we can’t travel at the
moment, there will be a time that we can. When that
time comes it will be important to get out there and
support our domestic tourist destinations. Now is the
time to dream and plan your next holiday!
Retro Glamping at Kanasta Caravan Park
Rare and Beautiful, Gemstones
and Crystals, Exhibition and Sales
www.ausemergencyservices.com.au 42

In an emergency, call Triple Zero (000)
To contact the police, fire or ambulance in an emergency, call
Triple Zero (000) from any telephone in Australia. Calls are free.
When to call Triple Zero (000)
You should only call Triple Zero (000) in life
threatening or time critical situations when
an urgent response is required from police,
fire or ambulance.
What will happen when I call
Triple Zero (000)?
The operator will ask you which emergency
service you require—police, fire or ambulance
—and will connect you. The operator may also
ask where you are calling from.
What if I have difficulty speaking English?
If you have difficulty speaking English, you
can ask for an interpreter once you have been
transferred to the emergency service you
requested. You will not have to pay for the
interpreter.
When you call Triple Zero (000), stay calm,
stay on the line and clearly answer the
operator’s questions.
www.triplezero.gov.au

Simple steps to help
stop the spread.
Cough or sneeze
into your arm
Use a tissue
Bin the tissue
Wash your hands
Together we can help stop
the spread and stay healthy.
For more information about Coronavirus
(COVID-19) visit health.gov.au
Authorised by the Australian Government, Canberra

ARE THEY
TRIPLE OK?
We’re always there to help.
Let’s make sure we help each other and ask R U OK?
ruok.org.au/triple-ok