Mount Gambier man David Walker has been awarded an Ambulance Service Medal as part of the Australia Day Honours.

Mr Walker commenced service with the South Australia Ambulance Service (SAAS) in 2018 as a volunteer ambulance officer and was soon promoted to the role of volunteer team leader for the Limestone Coast Volunteer Regional Response Team (LCVRRT) in 2019 whilst still completing his studies.

He also works as a casual ambulance officer within the Limestone Coast region.

Mr Walker said it was a shock to receive the honour as he did not know he had been nominated.

“I do not expect to go in and get anything like that but it’s definitely very appreciated to receive such an award and to be chosen and recognised by the Governor General,” he said.

“I’m very grateful and over the moon to be able to take such an honourable award.

“I’m still blown away for words.

“I’m not sure who nominated me, but I obviously want to say a big thank you to the person who put me up to the nomination because I go in to just do it, I do not really expect to get anything out of it.

“I also want to thank the service for giving me the opportunity to be a part of the service, to be part of the organisation and to let me work around my busy lifestyle to be able to fit in volunteering.”

Mr Walker owns and operates two businesses, Kaboom and Treehouse Adventure Centre in Mount Gambier, yet he is always available to assist the team at any hour and in any manner.

Mr Walker said he joined SAAS five years ago because he “always wanted to look at joining the police force” and received a notice about volunteering with the ambulance service.

“Obviously being that we own a business it was a good way to give back to the community,” he said.

“That was the reason I joined and since doing it, it sort of leant me more towards that I would join the police force now,” he said.

“It’s nice to be able to go one day a week, or two days a week, to be able to give back to the community and something different to challenge myself a bit too.

“I want to thank my family and staff at my businesses because without their support I would not be able to go off and do it.

“It is a big commitment for what I do, to be able to do it.”

Mr Walker has undertaken further study to become a registered trainer that allows him to support, develop and mentor volunteer ambulance officer students.

He consistently spends many hours with recruits whilst also fulfilling rostered shifts, all to benefit and continuously improve ambulance service provision in a regional setting.

Mr Walker said he enjoyed volunteering.

“The look in the patients’ eyes when you go into their homes … it’s a sense of relief so it gives you that good feeling,” he said.

“You go home at the end of the day, and you know you have done the right thing and you have done the best you can.

“I just want to continue on doing what I’m doing, teaching new people, mentoring new people and continue on with my volunteering.

“I have achieved a lot in the five years.”

Mr Walker said within his volunteering role he enjoyed “watching people grow within their journeys”.

“A lot of people come into the ambulance with no prior experience at all and I was one of those people so to be able to share my journey with them and then to teach them what I have learnt and watch them grow is really amazing,” he said.

“The other point is the gratitude that you get from the people when you’re helping them and when they’re in need.

“Everybody deserves the right to good quality healthcare and if they call an ambulance, to be able to receive an ambulance and to receive the treatment they need. It’s definitely a very rewarding experience.”

Mr Walker is also a SAAS digital mentor, supporting volunteers navigating technology to complete their e-Learning training.

Such is his genuine dedication, he also took part in a recent recruitment campaign, sharing his volunteering story to promote and motivate community members across the state to join SAAS.

The success of the campaign is due largely to his enthusiasm for volunteering with the impact far reaching, helping to ensure volunteer sustainability now and into the future.

Mr Walker said he encourages anyone who would like to join SAAS to give it a go.

“We are always looking for more people and it’s definitely a very rewarding experience,” he said.

“If anyone has ever considered or is wanting to do some type of volunteering, it’s definitely an area you do not have to have any prior experience.

“Look at me in five years to receive such an honourable award and I started with no prior experience in healthcare apart from basic first aid.

“Anybody else that has ever considered wanting to do something I definitely encourage them to investigate it a bit more and I’m always happy to have a discussion with people.”