QAS INSIGHT | Summer 2017-18 edition

Babinda is saturated … and with AEDs too

OIC Justin Cairns writes that the Far North Queensland town is awash with more than rainfall records – thanks to the efforts of LAC volunteers and a generous legacy offer.

Photo: Frances76 at the English language Wikipedia

That only leaves us to quibble with Tully for being Australia’s most saturated town in rainfall. Each year Babinda, Tully and Innisfail fight it out for the golden gumboot and title of ‘wettest town’.

With the funding we sourced three machines to be supported by the local businesses that house them: the Babinda SPAR supermarket, the Babinda Bowls Club and Bramston Beach Café. The staff at each business were trained and every year since then they get a refresher on CPR and AED operation.

About four years ago an executor of the estate of the late Ida Prandolini came to me and asked if the Babinda LAC could do with some extra funds.

■ Sienna and Charlotte Cairns practising.

■ QFES Bear Prince with Mel Elledge.

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I thanked her for the kind offer of a donation and suggested we could place some AED machines around the town and surrounding area – as it is well documented that out of hospital cardiac arrest survival increases greatly with early defibrillation and CPR. The estate’s executors were delighted that the funds would be put to such good use in the local community. Our LAC also got on board with this idea and supported our efforts wherever possible.

Babinda is officially recognised by the Bureau of Meteorology as the wettest town with Tully second and Innisfail third. Our average annual rainfall is about four metres with nearby Mount Bellenden Ker averaging 7,950mm per annum and Mount Bartle Frere behind us an unofficial 9,000mm. Tully to its credit built the ‘Golden Gumboot’ and did tourism wonders. Babinda always talked about building a Big Umbrella but it costs a lot of money to do these things – Tully’s Gumboot stands 7,900mm high to correspond with the amount of rain received in the year it won the contest! For the record Babinda was last year named the wettest town in Australia. Again.

■ Members of SPAR with their AED.

A fourth AED was added 18 months later and is based at Cootharinga, a not-for-profit organisation that helps people of all different abilities. With four AEDs in a catchment area of 3,000 people, I imagine Babinda would be Queensland’s – or maybe Australia’s – most AED-saturated town. CPR awareness has been a great asset to Queenslanders. When I was a Cadet in younger days, Bert Toogood and Richie Oliveri did similar programs but they did not have the structure of today and the only AED around was a pre-cordial thump!

■ Standing, left to right: Dante Baldi, Brian James, OIC Justin Cairns, Jodi McMurry, Selena McMurry and paramedic Peter Carnsew ■ Seated, left to right: Mel Elledge, paramedic Stephen Willmott and Beryl Ball ■ Absent: LAC members Holly Goriss, Fred Lizzio, Yvonne O’Leary and Mark Chalmers All photos on this page via Justin Cairns unless noted

Summer 2017–18