It was Sports Day at Barry Williams’ school, where he teaches PE. Fun turned to fear when, after a 200-metre race, Barry was urgently called to the finish line. There, he found 15-year-old Lincoln unconscious on the floor. Barry quickly determined that he needed to administer CPR and defibrillation. Remaining calm and focused, the teacher kept Lincoln alive until emergency services arrived. He was then flown via air ambulance to hospital where he spent 2 days in the ICU. Lincoln, who recently celebrated his 16th birthday has since made a full recovery.

It was an ordinary Saturday at home for 9-year-old Ellora and her dad, Frank when the unexpected happened. Frank began to feel his face heat up and his tongue swelling. Soon, he found himself struggling to breathe. Within minutes, Frank was unconscious on the bathroom floor. As soon as she realized what had happened, Ellora immediately called her mum, then dialed Triple Zero, stating her address and calmly giving clear information detailing the incident. Turns out, Frank had gone into anaphylactic shock. Paramedics later said that if Ellora hadn’t acted so quickly, Frank would have likely lost his life within 10 minutes. Despite her age, Ellora displayed a calm control of the situation.

Lachlan is an exemplary 16-year-old. A devoted brother and skilled first aider, Lachlan jumped to his sister’s rescue when she experienced a tonic-clonic seizure for the first time. During these episodes, a person loses consciousness, and their muscles stiffen before convulsing rapidly. Despite the traumatic scene, Lachlan remained calm and began to administer first aid, which he learned through St John Youth at school. A few months later, his sister experienced another seizure – this time, she had hit her head several times on the wall. Lachlan quickly called Triple Zero, then grabbed a blanket to protect his sister’s head. He remained calm and reassured his mum, while staying close to his sister until paramedics arrived. 

Brad, a Victoria State Emergency Service Training Officer, made the honourable decision to register as a GoodSAM Responder – a choice that saved a life. GoodSAM Responders are alerted to nearby cardiac arrest incidents and are informed of the nearest available defibrillator. One day in June 2023, when Brad was working from home, his GoodSAM alert went off. He immediately dropped what he was doing and rushed to the location to find a young person in cardiac arrest; their dad administering CPR. Brad took over and continued giving compressions, then applied a defibrillator. After some time, the patient started breathing and was transported to hospital. 

On the evening of 12th June, Jean and his fiancée Hoai were driving home in Reservoir when a car began swerving erratically, barely missing them. The car then went on to crash 7 other vehicles, sadly ending the driver’s life and resulting in two severely injured casualties. Having recently attended a free accredited CPR training session as part of St John’s Defib In Your Street community program, Jean and Hoai were quick to jump into the DRSABCD action plan. As Hoai looked for casualties, Jean diverted over 100 cars from the scene while on the phone with emergency services. Jean and Hoai were commended by Victoria Police for their selfless actions in such a traumatic situation.

St John volunteers are trained to attend to medical emergencies, no matter where or when. So, when Warrnambool Division volunteer Riley received a GoodSAM alert, they raced to the scene and immediately leapt into action, performing CPR until paramedics arrived. Despite being a newly recruited volunteer, Riley’s incredible display of courage and skill resulted in a life saved. The patient, Jenny, has since made a full recovery thanks to Riley’s inspiring actions.