Email - news@themooraboolnews.com.au
News
The Moorabool News – 29 March, 2022 Page 3
‘Given’ out defibs By Lachlan Ellis A local primary school has expressed its gratitude, after being donated a life-saving device worth thousands of dollars. Mount Egerton Primary School was gifted a defibrillator by John Given, and Principal Tegan Bell said it was a vital piece of equipment not just for the safety of students, but the Mount Egerton community as a whole. “Having a defib really increases the chain of survival, it’s such a good thing to have at our school, and in the community in general. If something happens in the community, it’s available for them to come and use as well,” she told the Moorabool News. “Being such a small school, we might only have two staff here at one time. Without a defib, you’d have one staff member herding the students away from the traumatic situation, while one staff member would be calling Triple Zero, on the phone while administering CPR. I don’t know how long it would take an ambulance to get out here… and with CPR, you only have a short time where you’re effectively administering it.” Ms Bell said Mr Given’s donation had come as a complete surprise. “I got a phone call out of the blue last year during lockdown. Mr Given rang and asked if we had a defib…I said no we don’t, and he wanted to donate one to our school. He’d actually made a few donations previously to
other schools,” she said. “They’re not cheap, it makes it really hard for small schools like ours to make the purchase. They’re a few thousand dollars. John’s also donated another battery for the defib too.” Mr Given has also donated defibrillators to Primary Schools in Myrniong, Sassafras, and Ferny Creek, and money for a defibrillator for Gordon Primary is currently being processed. The Moorabool resident was humble about his good deeds, which he said were done through a not-for-profit foundation called ‘Defib For Life’, which educates schools about cardiac arrest and the importance of public access defibrillators. “All I do is give Sue Buckman [Defib For Life co-founder] the money, and she does the organising and supplying,” Mr Given said. “On Wednesday I put a bank cheque in Sue’s letterbox. When it clears, she will begin organising a defibrillator for Gordon Primary School.” Quick assistance is vital in ensuring someone in cardiac arrest survives – for every minute someone in cardiac arrest is not successfully treated (such as through defibrillation), the chance of survival decreases by 7 per cent per minute in the first 3 minutes, and then by 10 per cent per minute beyond 3 minutes. For more information about Defib For Life and the fantastic work they do, visit www. defibforlife.org.au.
Mt Egerton PS Principal Tegan Bell, with the defibrillator donated to the school by a generous Moorabool resident. Photo – Helen Tatchell
A LOCAL
e r u t n e v d A
e c n e r e f if d a D h L wit WI
BOOK TICKETS
Kids visit free*
*Children under 16 years of age receive free admission to Healesville Sanctuary, Melbourne Zoo and Werribee Open Range Zoo on weekends, Victorian public holidays and Victorian Government school holidays.