Winter 2020
MEMBER PROFILE
Benjamin Gilmour Benjamin Gilmour is a Paramedic, writer and filmmaker. He is the author of the books ‘Warrior Poets’ (Pier 9) and ‘Paramedico – Around the World by Ambulance’ (HarperCollins), a tie-in with his recent film of the same name. His latest book, ‘The Gap’, is published by Penguin Random House. He lives in Northern NSW, Australia. Content note: this interview contains discussions of mental illness, suicide and trauma. Can you tell us a bit about your book? 'The Gap' is about the summer of 2007/08 working as a Paramedic at Bondi, the closest response to Australia's infamous suicide spot at Watson's Bay. It was an exceptionally turbulent period for ambulance staff in the Eastern Suburbs and Central Sydney, as I reveal in the book. A heatwave, combined with the craziness of Kings Cross, Darlinghurst and Surry Hills areas pre-lockout laws and a spike in the suicide rate contributed to the impact that relationship breakdowns, my work partner John Dixon and I were having, on our private lives. It was a lethal mix with terrible consequences.
highly curated Ambulance reality shows (or 'unreality shows' as I call them). I wanted 'The Gap' to be gritty and unsanitized, to tell it how it is, to reveal our vulnerabilities, The book seems to be resonating our humanity, and explore the really strongly with both impact of the work on our mental Paramedics and non-paramedics health. alike. Who were you thinking of In trying to make 'The Gap' when you were writing it? appeal to Paramedics, it's turned I wanted to connect with both but out pretty confronting for the underestimated how challenging public. Some of it's outrageous, this would be. Firstly, it wasn't I admit. But an artist needs to be going to be a hero memoir. That bold. There's no point beating might work for general readers, around the bush, especially about but not Paramedics. My approach serious issues like depression and was honesty and authenticity. It suicide. At the same time, who was time for a counterpunch to the wants to read a misery memoir?
So, it was important to draw out as much humour as possible too. This ended up being the most unsettling factor for me. Would non-paramedic readers be able to digest the Paramedic sense of humour? Finding that balance was hard, but worth the effort. I was grateful 'The Gap' was released by Penguin Random House who've got a brilliant team of editors and helped with the tone. Paramedics deal with traumatic situations every day, but generally you’ll always have someone there with you. Why
9
