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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

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Last updated by Someone on

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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Someone
Someone from QLD commented:

No your principle residence should not be part of the pension means test. No-one should be forced to sell their home in order to receive a livable income. If you own your own home you have obviously worked hard and payed your share of tax. 

Jennifer
Jennifer from NSW commented:

I think the Govt. should leave the elderly and disabled alone along with all their possessions, These people are the ones that have made this country what it is today. 

Barbara
Barbara from NSW commented:

It won't affect me because I do not have a large home and do not live in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, but I think Sydneysiders will be more affected than the rest of Australia, so I do not think it should happen. 

Virginia
Virginia from WA commented:

This government is looking at all the ways it can to penalise working Australians. I am a paraplegic, I have worked hard to get 3 days work, they have taken me off the DSP which meant more hardship for me to survive. I would have been better off not working & kept the DSP but that is not how I want to leave nor the example for my little girl, I want to provide the best for her but it is hard. How many of you voted this government in & thinking it was going to be better. I did not. 

Stephanie
Stephanie from NSW commented:

Our family home should be exempt of any means test, haven't we paid enough tax in our working life and worked to get a nice comfortable home to retire with? My son and his partner (and any children they have) are living with us because it is too hard for them to save for a good deposit and anyway he will have the house when we are gone. Our house is big enough for all and we do not get in each other's way, so find something else. 

Anne
Anne from NSW commented:

Can't believe that people who work all their lives to achieve something can be penalised for this effort in their sunset years! 

Rodney
Rodney from NSW commented:

Leave the family home alone PROVIDED THAT it is in the name(s) of the Retiree(s)/ Pensioner(s). If they have huge amounts in Superannuation, then that will be reflected in a reduced Age Pension as it already is I believe. 

John
John from NSW commented:

Leave the family home alone 

Ivy
Ivy from NSW commented:

IVY from NSW commented: 

Marion
Marion from QLD commented:

I think that the family home should be exempt up to a certain point - after pensions or self funded people have to live somewhere - how do they expect us to upkeep our home. But if your can afford to own a home morgage free worth more than 1 million in retirement that some of that should be included in the means test for the pension. 

Someone
Someone from NSW replied to Marion:

Why should a home worth more than any sum be included in an Assests test? Why should we have an Assests test at all? Most Western Countries do not means test the age pension. Most countries reward for effort not penalise as we do in Australia. 

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