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NewsMeet the oldest Air Ambulance Nurse in Australia
Meet the oldest Air Ambulance Nurse in Australia

Meet the oldest Air Ambulance Nurse in Australia

Maureen Roberts has many career highlights to share from her 32 years as Australia’s longest serving air ambulance nurse.

In a recent interview on Macquarie Media, Maureen told the story of the pilot of her aircraft passing out at the controls and how she calmly popped his oxygen mask on and brought him around enough to land the plane. And you thought your job had challenges!

Maureen began her career in the Riverina and became interested in the Air Ambulance are speaking to a fellow nurse from the service. She started her career in Albury but is now based at Mascot, near Sydney.

Another memorable moment of her career involved a premature baby in the skies over the Hunter Valley in NSW. The Air Ambulance needed to land but a FA18 Hornet on “critical fuel” took precedence. Maureen remembers saying to the Air Ambulance pilot “the fighter pilot can eject if he needs to but we can’t, we need to land”!

One of the wonderful things about her job, Maureen told us, is that every day is a different experience depending on the patients you're transporting.

“Sometimes you're taking people home to die and they know they're going to die and they have the most amazing conversations with you."

Hear the full interview with Maureen Roberts here

Originally posted on .

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Joanne
Joanne from NSW commented:

Savings 

Burgi
Burgi from NSW commented:

To be recognised as a valid person, & receiving some discounts after having worked for more than 50 years & never asking the government for anything 

Hans
Hans from NSW commented:

All the good things the we fifties plus deserve 

Frank
Frank from NSW commented:

Regardless of so called benefits, there's no doubting insurance companies still package fifty ups in the same basket as everyone else! With insurance premiums sky rocketing, in my opinion they still refuse to appropriately reward stable/low risk customers. Whether it be driving safely, not parking in high risk areas, maintaining our homes etc, hopefully one day insurance companies will finally understand fifty ups first line of protection is NOT them.....but Us!! 

Peter
Peter from NSW commented:

By the time you reach 50 these days you have more than likely divorced at least once and lost almost everything, including illness like cancer etc and have had to start again. The prices to restart your life, buy another home, car etc educate your children and hopefully give them a head start in life is extremely difficult. The Government 1st home scheme doesn't help us in our 50+ years as well as the banks look at us as 2nd rate citizens. They forget we and our parents gave them the life they enjoy now. I have been in the transport industry for over 38 years and the respect for older people in this industry is all but gone. 50+ people have more knowledge and work harder than the new generation and should get paid more for there experience and what they bring to the workplace, possibly through an assessment board not an award pay basis. Banks should consider that 50+ people might want to buy and retire in the country and there criteria should allow some more flexibility in borrowing for there retirement home while still living in the cities. Banks look at this as an "Investment loan" thus charging higher loan interest and higher deposits. This makes it harder to finance into a country area that has little sales history for there assessment to loan into that area. We simply cant afford to stay living in the cities when we are too old to work anymore. If we did stay in the cities we will be a larger burden on the "economy" when pension time comes. 

Danny
Danny from NSW commented:

APIA insurance, always advertising for 'anyone over 50' to call us and get a better deal with all your insurances. I called them having turned 50 and being semi retired called them to get a quote re same and was advised that as I had a spouse who was still working, didn't fit their criteria and was ineligible. Seemed a bit of a misleading advertising campaign. 

Danny
Danny from NSW commented:

I think you're right Daryl re us being considered 'past our use by dates'. After retiring only a few years ago following a 32 year career within a NSW Govt department, I decided to apply for a couple of positions, in similar type area and well within my skills base, at a much lower level but in positions I could have basically done with my eyes closed. I didn't even get past first base, not even an interview to put my case forward. Just a two line generic dear John letter thanking me for my application. I was later told I shouldn't have put my date of birth on resume. 

Daryl
Daryl from NSW replied to Danny:

The most degrading thing of all is knowing your knock back will be due to age . Three quarters of the time in my believe is a kid still wet behind the ears given a Managerial role for all the wrong reasons , this kid is interviewing you for a job which you could have been doing before they where born . Now in my experience I have found the problem to be simmering just below the surface in the young no nothing up and comers . Don't big note yourself as to your skill levels but let them know in a variety of ways including trade Hands on skills that you are more than competent and qualified and you will find that they actually tend to perceive you as a threat even though you may have no intention of undermining them . You see these kids thrown into these top notch positions of authority long before there time don't want some old bugger knowing more than them it may take away from the power they will have over there young employees . More so than job skills , life skills are the biggest threat to them because they are insecure and have not yet grown up . Believe me I have been through it I still do All the best buddy ,Daz . 

Deborah
Deborah from NSW replied to Danny:

I agree as I'm in a similar situation having stayed at home (still working on contract from home) until my children were older. Now even after retraining at TAFE I am still finding it hard to re-enter the workforce even on a part time basis. Most often I don't even get to interview stage and I don't even have my date of birth on my resume. Employers can obviously tell how old you are by the experience showing on your resume anyway! It appears to be a handicap being over 50 when trying to find employment - which doesn't seem fair at all when we are more likely to stay in a position until we retire full time than younger people who appear to be changing jobs at least every 12 months. Surely employers should recognise the added training costs attached to employing younger people who have no interest in company loyalty! 

Daryl
Daryl from NSW commented:

I would hope for many things ,mainly I would hope people would not take a dislike to my cynical views on our countries leaders as it stands today. My life experiences as a tradesman not self employed have been 34 odd years of hard physical grind for my dollar which I am still doing in the same roll I started out in . People looking for respect should just forget about it this generation doesn't know the meaning of the word . It's all about making as much money in the shortest poss time with the least amount of effort. Our politicians are recruiting younger people all the time with zero life skills zero world travel experiences and zero job skills . We have past our use by dates how much money through our sweat was poured back into the country doesn't interest them they only care how much more they can make out of us and what lies ahead is a lot less than what has already been contributed . End of the day it's all about money respect doesn't even come into it . In my line of work I realized even though I could physically outwork my younger counterparts that in there eyes by the time I hit fourty I was already considered old man so my work experiences in this regard hit me we'll and truly straight in the face a long time ago heading out shopping and all the other services that we expect to be equally recognised as contributing towards have just been part and parcel of the system and the way it stands in Australia today . Many years ago my mother told me she had become invisible when she went to get the family groceries for the week . I didn't understand at the time what she meant ,Ido now. Once again these are just my views I hope no one takes offence but i see no point in dilly dallying . The harder you work the harder the ones dragging the chain will make you work for them unfortunately . Regards Mr Cynical Daryl. 

Terry
Terry from NSW commented:

You need to be careful that this doesn't just become a targeted marketing list for businesses to harass and annoy members by harsh direct marketing. Sure use it as a means to gain strength in numbers and bargaining power but not unsolicited marketing. 

Someone
Someone from NSW commented:

Get a fair DEAL Tel the GOV to GET REAL on PAY RISE >>>>Min $1000 PER WEEK NOTE K RUD $1500.00 Pension /////// Note I am a Volunteer For Marine Rescue NSW . GOV ////// Needs to be RESEARCH BY OUT SIDE LAW . The TAX PAYERS PAY for this Operation to WORK ????? NOTE Hand IT Over to THE AUST NAVY then will WORK . Note I Cart t Tel you my name ........ if you to cot inure l Phone 0402047240 

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