Ambulance paramedic Andrew Humfrey took a step back from his role as an acting inspector to take a role at a small country station.
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With a young family including two daughters aged four and six, the paramedic wanted them to grow up in the country when they could have a veggie garden and room to run around. And he found it at Stroud.
Andrew grew up in western Sydney and after leaving school, embarked on a Bachelor of Social Work because he knew he wanted to help people.
“I was half way through the course when I saw an advertisement for the NSW Ambulance Service in the Sunday newspaper,” he said.
“I was a bit discontent with the social work course. I was only 20 and really thought I wanted to do more.
“So I applied for the ambulance service and it took 12 months from when I applied to when I was accepted.
“It was very competitive to get in and there were medicals, exams and interviews along the way.
“But I made it through and started my training in March 2003.”
After training he spent time at Penrith and Tregear stations and then went to Hillston in the Riverina.
“I spent five years there and loved it,” he said. “It was very much like Stroud and it was great for young families and I liked the lifestyle.
“I met my wife there and she is a country girl and we both decided we wanted to raise a family in a small community.
“From there I went to Cardiff and spent some time in senior management in the sector office.
“But my heart was still in the country, and while we contemplated a few places, we ended up in Stroud buying property.
“I did a swap with one of the Stroud ambos who wanted to go down to the city at the start of January 2015.
“Even though I stepped down from a management job, both my wife and I knew that Stroud was where we wanted to be.
“And then I was very lucky because the station office position came up and I got it, starting the new role a few weeks ago.”
Andrew loves being a paramedic because of the changing pace of the job. He never knows from one hour to the next where he might be and what he needs to do.
“I like that I can make a difference and help people in need,” he said.
Former station officer Craig Moore has moved on and Bill Rathbone has taken a promotion up the north coast.
The station is waiting for two more full time positions to be filled.
Paramedics are first contact health workers providing advanced out-of-hospital, emergency and non-emergency care and related transport services to the community.
