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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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Jennifer
Jennifer from NSW commented:

Reply to Phil of NSW Thankyou so much for your response to my comment, I now have a decision to make. 

Claude
Claude from QLD commented:

Part 2:- Gone are the prospects of a job in today environment, part time and casual work is wrong again what loyalty do you get from an employee gets 4 hours of work a week and have to juggle several jobs to make enough to pay rent, electricity, fuel to travel for job to job I get so annoyed at business that they the children of today have no respect and you have the bleed heart to say they did not turn up to work today again on a whims notice to come into work for 4 hours when they got 6 hours work at McDonalds! Then are persecuted with no hours the following week! Australia and the business community need to take their blindfolds off and look at Australia first! Sorry again for this rant but the sink hole is getting bigger and bigger . 

Claude
Claude from QLD commented:

Part 1: I can not believe the short sighted Government that Australian citizens has elected, The closure of another Australian Icon Holden is just around the corner or has passed into the abyss. We allow imported vehicles which have been heavily subsided by their own governments to export their Products to other countries, our short sighted Government removes tariffs to make them competitive in the market place and each vehicle sold the profit goes out of Australia! Wow we make GST of the sale of them big deal! The Government needs to support Australia's Manufacturing Industry first and foremost. Create jobs not give them away to imported labour, I see so much on University skilling our children and tell how many placements are made after you finish your degree and have a huge HEX bill to pay off less than 5 % I think. The Government needs to get behind companies to take kids straight from school, train them locally with the support of TAFE as apprentices then the Government will find its skill shortage fall filled and I can tell you the company will have a loyal employee! Not a disgruntled employee to go hunting for the money they expect after they have completede their degree and are told they can COMMAND this much money after they finish a degree what at waste of time! Lets rethink our children's future Holden and Ford passing is only the beginning, have a think of USA's Detroit manufacturing gone forever! Soon to be Australia's fate. Sorry for my RANT! But I feel passionate about Australia and what we produce Tony Abbott pull your head and big ears out your Trade ministers arse and sort this out before its too late! 

jenny
jenny from QLD commented:

I Think that this present govt. should think long and hard about how we have achieved where we are to day !! if it were not for we over 50's things could be a lot worse- and they are going to get worse across the nation. qld is uping electricity by 10.25 per cent as from july 2014. will we all go back to using lamps in our houses. and fires un our yards to cook and wash with, (just like our mums had to do ) not a pretty thought. I hope the cub members can get together and rally against electricity prices- far too much !! 

Rhonda
Rhonda from QLD commented:

Cheaper car insurance would be good, bet there are many in my age group that have never made a claim.... driving now for 41 years, yet not much of a discount. 

jenny
jenny from QLD replied to Rhonda:

I really think that they should do away with excess for over fifty's my husband had a bump the other day and we have to pay $500,00 dollars for a scratch !! very unfair (especially for pensioners) and not having a claim for -well forever.. 

Rhonda
Rhonda from QLD commented:

Purchased my house 2 years ago, 10 panels and solar hot water and gas cooking was one of the main reasons for the purchase, the previous owner was getting .50 for power back to the grid, but I am getting next to nothing and have to pay for power, I have had 3 power companies in 2 years. Reason given, if you are not the person that contracted the solar and the house is re sold you get less back. I was also told that I would have to get permission from the state authority to add panels... and we thought we were being 'green" and avoiding shocking bills, its all about the money and just wait until they sell off Energex and Ergon, pensioners will be sitting in the dark. 

Someone
Someone from QLD commented:

We own a house in the Northern Suburbs of Brisbane which is for rent. I have to switch on power (AGL) between tenants due to the swimming pool which has 2 pumps. The house has been vacant for 6 months now and the first quarter bill was $495, and the second quarter bill was $750. When I called about it, was told it was due to the pool, and and they also mentioned that the price had gone up in the last quarter. My husband and I currently live in our home in Nth Qld, and our bill for the last quarter was $321, and the most its ever been through summer using air conditioning, has been $500. What a rip off, 

John
John from NSW commented:

I've been with Click Energy for about 5 months now. I receive 60 cents a kilowatt for the power I produce. It's funny when I switched from AGL (glad to be rid of them) my power costs went from about $150 a quarter to $50. AGL promised a lot and delivered very little. If I had any complaints with Click, it would be that they send me monthly bills but only read the meter every three months, meaning two guesstimates. I would much rather just get a quarterly bill (in my case it will only be about $50). 

kathleen
kathleen from QLD commented:

To be a real voice in social change, gain respect from our younger generation, and get parliamentarians keeping pressure on them to get people working and not reliant on tax payers money that we pay for AND give regards back to our generations of going without, working hard to get to a position in life for retirement and or dealing with health issues Being safe where we live etc Insurance, rates, health, companionship of grips, discussion boards to gain knowledge and make friends Kathleen 

kathleen
kathleen from QLD replied to kathleen:

Rewards and groups I made a couple of typo's Sorry 

Roseanne
Roseanne from QLD commented:

I suppose this is one way to kill off the elderly and save money on Pensions....Freeze them to death. We are lucky to get a buy back of .54c/kw but most are not so lucky. Our power bill is still large considering we both work all day and leave home around 6.30am don't get home 'til after 7pm and in bed by 11pm. It's just way out of control...where will it end. 

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