By LACHLAN MOORHEAD
ANTON Pirie woke up early at his Berwick home, and in the pre-dawn gloom loaded medical supplies into his car, before leaving for Horsham at 4am sharp.
This was just one of the tasks Anton performed last year as a volunteer for the Aero Pro-Medical Foundation, a not-for-profit charity created a year ago to provide medical treatment and supplies to people living in rural areas, where access to both is severely limited.
Aero Pro-Medical organises for specialist doctors, including cardiologists and mental health professionals, to travel to and consult with patients in Horsham, Wangaratta, Albury, Wodonga, and Bairnsdale, among other areas.
Anton is the owner of Truflow Spray Booths, a Dandenong-based business, who was encouraged to volunteer for Aero Pro-Medical by his wife and co-owner of Truflow, Caroline. The pair donate both goods and their service to the charity.
Anton said an initiative like Aero Pro-Medical, which had garnered support from Narre Warren North MP Luke Donnellan, was dependent on volunteer support, and he was more than happy to put his hand up to help those in need.
“The whole organisation works on a voluntary basis. It’s hard to get funding and if I can help, I will,” he said.
“It’s just about helping other people, giving them access to equipment or doctors that have the skill to help them. You have to consider that our health system can’t help everyone.”
Last year, Anton volunteered to drive roughly 400 kilometres, which took over four hours, from Berwick to Horsham for an equipment drop-off.
“I was tired by the time I got home at 5pm that night, but I felt really good for doing something, for donating my time,” he said.
“Otherwise they would have had to pay someone. It’s very satisfying but they need more people to get on board.”
Rachel Porter, an Australia Day ambassador, is one of the creative minds behind Aero Pro-Medical and was inspired to start up the charity after she saw a similar initiative implemented successfully in America, where medical supplies were transported from the state of Wyoming to the country’s rural areas.
Rachel saw the need for a like-minded service in Australia after consulting with people in rural areas over several years as part of her Australia Day ambassadorship.
According to statistics gathered by Aero Pro-Medical, people based in rural Australia on average live seven years less than metropolitan residents.
Rachel also said the rate of suicide is 30 per cent higher in rural areas, while the rate of injury and disability is 20 per cent higher.
“There is a tremendous lack of specialist treatment in these areas,” Rachel said.
“The doctors who volunteer for us work extremely hard, with some not finishing until 10pm and then driving back.
“But it saves the patients two to three days away from home.”
Rachel said the response to Aero Pro-Medical in the last 12 months had been overwhelming, with the charity planning to invest in a plane in the near future, and she praised Caroline and Anton’s involvement in the initiative.
“They’ve both given up a lot of their time, but they’re the sort of people that don’t talk about it, they’re doers,” she said.
“They are incredibly giving, it’s people like them who are unsung heroes.”
For more information visit http://www.aeropromedicalfoundation.org.au/
