Nambour stalwart honoured for service to Ambos

Gary Langford: “Because of what these people do out there for our community, I can’t help but keep going and keep working for them”.

A dedicated Nambour ambulance stalwart who has offered his time and leadership in many roles across multiple organisations and charities has been named Sunshine Coast Council’s 2023 Senior Citizen of the Year.

Gary Langford is the President of the Nambour Local Ambulance Committee (LAC) where he has served since 1999. The passionate advocate has received numerous awards for his service but he said this one held a special place in his heart.

“It’s a huge honor,” he said. “I’ve received some awards from the Commissioner over the last 20-odd years, but that’s an in-house sort of recognition. I’ve never had an award presented to me which is external of the QAS, so it’s an absolute honor to be recognized. I mean, nobody in volunteering goes out there to seek recognition, but I’ll tell you what, when you get it, it is wonderful to receive!

“I fell in love with Ambulance from day one, and I’ve absolutely loved it. I’ve made a lot of friends through QAS, with paramedics and senior management and patient transport drivers, and because of what these people do out there for our community, I can’t help but keep going and keep working for them.”

Gary said he would use the award recognition as an opportunity to encourage more participation in volunteering.

“Whether that be with the ambulance or whether it be with St Vincent de Paul or whatever, it doesn’t matter. 

“There’s a lot more to be done, and  I’ll keep doing as much as I can.”

Gary said he would concentrate on two main initiatives. “One is we need to make the community more aware of the importance and locations of automatic external defibrillators. They’re called AEDs.  We need to get more and more of those into the community through businesses and organizations. 

“I know Woolworths have got one, that the pharmacy’s got one, that the doctors have got one, but we need to get other businesses in town strategically placed with an AED, and then we need to start up a register of where they are. We will give that register to the emergency medical dispatchers, which is triple-0, so that if they get a call, somebody in cardiac arrest, they can have a look at their map and pinpoint where the nearest AED is, and can direct a bystander to go and get it. Because that early intervention saves lives.

“Also, we’ve got to educate the community more and more about CPR. Paramedics, when they turn up at a job where someone’s in cardiac arrest and they can see that there’s CPR underway and they can see an AED lying there, it brings them great relief. I mean, it increases the chance of survival of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest enormously.”

Gary said he had nothing but admiration for the ambulance service personnel. 

“I’m fortunate enough that I see what happens behind the scenes with paramedics and patient transport officers, and the public don’t see that. The public already praise them to the hilt, but gee, if they knew what went on behind the scenes in preparation and after events, they’d be even more proud of these men and women in the community. They are just wonderful, wonderful people, and they’re so dedicated.”

Other award winners:

Citizen of the Year: Michelle Lipner from OzHarvest

Community Group or Organisation: The Board Meeting Surf Charity and Sunshine Coast Riding for the Disabled

Sport and Recreation: Motiv8sports Sunshine Coast

Sustainability: Bamboo Projects

Creative: Sunshine Coast Art Group.

Other nominees:

Darrell Dalton

The Nambour Golf Club Junior clinic coach Darrell Dalton was nominated for the Sport and Recreation Award. Darrell ensures all members at the clinic are welcome and he fosters a regard for golfing etiquette and fair play, providing life-long social skills. Darrell is also the PGA professional who set up Golf Programs Australia Inc (GPAI), which since its foundation has used the low impact activity of golf to drive inclusion and break isolation of individuals and groups in the community. Their largest impact has been made in the intellectual disabilities sector, where they deliver weekly golf programs.

Georgea Rule, Palmwoods CWA

President of the Palmwoods CWA Georgea Rule was nominated for the Creative Award.

Georgea is a member and the current president of the Palmwoods CWA. For the past few years, having been a professional seamstress herself, she has volunteered her skills, teaching the community how to sew. She has the knowledge and patience to guide everyone, from the most novice to the most experienced student. In a world of fast fashion, sharing this wonderful and tricky process enables students to repair, repurpose and make clothing, which is environmentally sustainable and provides a lifelong skill to participants.

Sunshine Coast Agricultural Show 

The Sunshine Coast Agricultural Show Society was nominated for the Community Group or Organisation Award. It is the oldest event on the Sunshine Coast. The small show committee team work tirelessly all year round to put the massive three-day event together. As an agricultural show, the management committee pride themselves in bringing a rural flair to the show to encourage patrons to consider the importance of agriculture in the rural areas. To survive into its 117th year is a true feat of passion and hard work by a small group of truly dedicated people.

Nambour Community Centre

Nominated for the Community Group or Organisation Award, Nambour Community Centre supports many local families and individuals who are experiencing hardship. They have a family support group of social workers called ‘Thriving Families’ to support vulnerable families in situations such homelessness, domestic and family violence. ‘Migrant Settlement’ and ‘Community Action for a Multicultural Society’ workers have done and continue to do incredible work. The Nambour Community Centre has been operating out of their Shearer Street building for just over 40 years. It’s a diverse, bright community centre, loved by many local people.

Salvation Army Nambour

The Salvation Army Nambour offer tireless ongoing community support to our most vulnerable citizens and was nominated for the Community Group or Organisation Award. In particular, the group working at Maud Street Church offer support to the needy rain or shine. Rosemary Campbell and her band of helpers offer free food hamper bags and it is here people in need can get help and advice about available services and get back on track. Their concern for their fellowman and their compassion for all, stands out like a beacon in today’s society.

Sunshine Coast Riding for the Disabled

The volunteer-run, not-for-profit charity is celebrating 10 years in North Arm and was nominated for the Community Group or Organisation Award. They provide six equine-based therapy programs to members of the disability community on the Sunshine Coast. They help with gross and fine motor skills, balance, communication, social skills, core strength, life skills, increased independence, self esteem, motivation, concentration as well as horse skills! Over the past 10 years more than 972 people with a disability have accessed programs, many of whom still remain with them today.

• Festuri - a multicultural celebration

Festuri has been bringing multicultural festivals to the Sunshine Coast for 23 years and was also nominated for the Community Group or Organisation Award. This celebration of ethnicity and diversity provides acknowledgment for migrants that their culture is alive and can be passed on to their children. For the wider community, it is a colourful display of the world’s dance and music. Festuri is a valuable event and needs to continue for the health and vitality of the culturally and linquistically diverse community. Festuri members are voluntary and have applied many volunteer hours.