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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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Lynn
Lynn from QLD commented:

Not all pensioners had the privilege to have or been able to keep their home for one reason or another. I know what it is like to have to live in an area away from my home area without family & especially long standing friends to be close by in time for support in hardship times. It causes further medical depression without very little assistance. It really bugs me to no end that these people who are living on very high income which the average Australian actually pay their wages have the inconsideration and heartless to pick on the age pensioners. They should be reminded that they are employed by the average Australian and we should be able to dictate their income and benefits. STOP other hand out 1st of.....like boat people handouts, overseas handouts, baby bonuses, such things like marriage counselling vouches. STOP so much importing of products that Australia can produce for our selves. SUPPORT our own economy. REDUCE the cost of electricity, gas, phone, petrol, oil. There is no reason that we should be paying such high prices for these essential services. PROTECT the true Australian before handing out to others 

Someone
Someone from QLD commented:

Come on, We worked hard to support or older folk when we were young. We paid into super for over 17 years only to be told we lost that money thanks to one of Australia's leading super funds. NOT...... We pay taxes so the young can have paid parental leave. We pay taxes so the young can obtaining a first home grant, something we could only dream of. We worked hard for our homes without any hand outs so leave our homes alone.......... Before you even think of it, Put this one out there. It's time all payment to politicians ceased when they leave politics. How about we pay them on performance only.........No performance No pay......Give that a go... We'll soon be out of debt. 

Ken
Ken from QLD commented:

Ken - Qld. May work but the establishment and maintenance of varying regional values would mean a whole new govt dept !!! 

Jane
Jane from WA commented:

Sorry but I don't get this Fifty-up Club? I thought it was we (the people) joining together and creating buying power in order to save money. All I have seen to date is this political blog which constantly brings to our attention the negatives and then people go on to discuss. I thought this club would bring serious buying power and allow the people running it to approach buyers (of all kinds) for better prices. Let me give an example you (The 50upClub) contact the major supermarkets and negotiate a $10.00 off shopping voucher or 5c off fuel voucher allowing us the people who have helped build Australia to what is is today some assistance. We worked and are still working hard for all that we have and a little relief would go a long way? 

Paul
Paul from NSW replied to Jane:

I believe a good way to start would be the buying power of health insurance/cover. Most couples with medium cover for hospital and extras would be paying $300 per month or more. (over $3000.00pa. 

Someone
Someone from VIC commented:

HANDS OFF. Have worked hard all our life and are sick to death of being penalized for doing so. We have never had our hand out for anything, and are by no means RICH. GO AWAY 

Antonius
Antonius from NSW commented:

I believe those who have a home that is twice the average value of current dwellings be penalized by getting only half the pension because these people live in opulence way above the average. Should they then sell that home they should only be penalized by what that home brings above the average home value at the time. Some people who can well afford these homes abuse the pension system and that should be stopped. 

Someone
Someone from NSW replied to Antonius:

Antonius, Envy and penalising others will get us a long way I'm sure. Most people don't have Mercs either so should you be penalised as well? There should be NO assests and NO means test and the pension should be universal but taxed which would recover much of the pension from people still able to earn an income. Other countries can do this why can't we? Just think of the saving in Public Servants wages! It might almost pay for itself. 

RONALD
RONALD from NSW commented:

Alcohol fueled violence late at night- surely if the pubs and clubs had to pay the costs of having police control these young drunks, and any damage to property, medical expenses for injured crowd or police officers, ambulance expences, hospital bills and compensation to injured police then these licencees might think twice about extended drinking hours instead of all gain and passing the costs onto the the taxpayer 

Someone
Someone from QLD commented:

Why is it when there is a money grab we the Australian people are hit. Stop sending aid overseas unless there is a real catastrophe & take care of business at home. The idea of a $200 bonus for marriage counselling etc is ludicrous, what happened to people taking care of their own business. No commonsense in parliament these days! Aged pensioners have done their bit with NO handouts, we worked & for the most part didn't have the benefit of super to retire on, what we had is what we got! 

Someone
Someone from NSW commented:

The Business Council of Australia sound like they are hand in hand with to the Australian Chamber of Commerce & Industry, who are advocating that the Service pension, War Widows pension & the TPI pension be reduced in value & that the Department of Veterans Affairs be abolished with disabled war veterans & war widows administered by various departments such as Welfare & Health. The Chamber lays it out all out in a document titled “Commonwealth Spending (and Taxes) Can Be Cut---And Should Be”. Their latest paper http://acci.asn.au/getattachment/db02771d-07d0-43c1-9bea-5672df9b96af/ACCI-Submission-to-the-National-Committee-of-Audit.aspx is now wanting to increase the age of retirement & the age you are allowed to access your super. It is alright these Directors with 6 figure salaries who leave their job with a golden parachute, but not all Australians have that luxury, we have to work for a living & then have to survive after the job you had for 20 years goes overseas to be taken done by someone paid $1.50 per hour. If we scrimped & saved to build our own little piece of paradise, then that is our castle to be enjoyed in our retirement, not something to become a mill stone. If they, the government, want to save money, remove all the perks the pollies have when they retire from politics, especially the ex Prime & Seniors Ministers who have driven this country into the ground. Buy Australian. 

Someone
Someone from NSW commented:

Touch my family home and I will personally start the revolution.These protected cashed up pollies are a joke .If you love politics so much do it for a meagre wage just like the rest of us earn,then we may see a change in their ridiculous grab for money from the Aussie battler.We worked hard to get our family homes and I also see you have more stupid ideas on your agendas as well! Why are they hell bent on destroying the Australian way of life that generations fought and actually died for!! 

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