Meet the team
The heroes of the ground-breaking factual television program Paramedics represent a cross- section of Australian society, with a great mix of diverse and engaging personalities.
BEN - Paramedic
A former Olympic 3 metre springboard and synchronised diving specialist, British-born Ben’s first trip to Australia was for the 2006 Commonwealth Games. He was back for the World Championships in Melbourne in 2007, then competed in Beijing Olympics in 2008.
From the highs of taking Gold in the world championships in 2009 in Mexico, Ben crashed out of the sport with a career-ending knee injury later that year.
Needing a ‘normal’ job, Ben looked for something in health care. His wife suggested he apply for the Ambulance service in Britain, where he found his ‘happy place’. The job combined the perfect mix of adrenaline, variety and helping people.
Ben and his wife moved to Australia in 2017, and he’s been with the Ambulance Service since 2021. He loves the stoic older patients, but small children make him nervous. “They are not small humans; they are their own little thing and they can either love you or just scream in your face.”
GEORGIA– Paramedic
Georgia describes herself as a ‘big softie’, which is probably why she didn’t end up becoming a veterinarian. Sick animals always get her in the feels. Humans on the other hand can communicate far more effectively.
She took a break after her second year of studying paramedicine to work in a bar. This has proved incredibly helpful when dealing with some patients affected by drugs or alcohol.
“The people that you meet are so varied and interesting. From a nanna to kids to middle aged men. It can be a really overwhelming job especially if you have a bad run. It can take a toll on your mental health. Add shift work on top of that, and it can make you more susceptible to feeling emotional.”
Georgia deals with these feelings by firstly “having a good sleep” and then doing things she loves; going to the gym or the beach and talking it over. “I always come to the same conclusion. This is the job for me”.
CHRIS – Paramedic
Chris is humbled by the level of trust people give him, knowing he’ll make them better, or at least more comfortable on their way to hospital.
“My Grandfather always used to tell me, ‘It’s nice to be important, but it’s more important to be nice’. Having him as a role model growing up, he was always selflessly helping his friends, family and strangers in anyway he could. I saw from a very young age that this gave him purpose, meaning and a genuine gratitude towards life.”
Chris and his housemate Sam call their place ‘the divorced men’s shelter’. These two besties are each other’s support system both personally and professionally. Despite failed marriages, they are both still looking for “the one”. Chris delivered a baby in his first year on the job, a career highlight. “When everything goes well and the baby comes out crying and everything is ok… it’s just the best feeling. We often go to people at the end of their lives, so to be a part of bringing new life into the world is just so special.”
SAM – Paramedic
Sam is the other half of Chris and Sam from the ‘divorced men’s shelter’. They share a house and work together, and then debrief together as a coping mechanism for some of the harder parts of the job.
“I became a paramedic for both selfless and selfish reasons. I absolutely and genuinely enjoy helping people when they are experiencing an emergency. There is something very humbling and rewarding about this. I still get a thrill from going to work and not knowing what is in store for us that day”.
Earlier in Sam’s career, he was called to a mother in labour. Déjà vu hit him as he arrived. Had he been here before for another emergency? Then the woman’s husband said, ‘Oh Sam, you’re back!’ He’d delivered the woman’s first baby two years earlier, and now he was back for the second!
CARLOS – Paramedic
Arriving in Australia from El Salvador at the age of two, Carlos is no stranger to medicine. His mother was an ED nurse in El Salvador, and now works in a major trauma hospital here.
Carlos says “Every time I see them, they always tell me how proud they are of me and what I’ve achieved. But I’m so proud of them and how brave they have been”.
He and paramedics partner Nhi met at university. “We just sat on a table at lunch, started talking and became friends”. “She is such a character. She just gets along with everyone so well. She has a ‘no stress’ attitude and always makes you feel like everything will be ok.”
Studying was challenging at times. “I always used to think, my parents have come here not knowing anyone, not knowing the language. I don’t really have anything to complain about”.
His favourite jobs are cardiac cases. “I love interpreting ECG’s. I just find the heart so fascinating”.
NHI – Paramedic
Nhi might have the medical kit with all the bells and whistles, but when it comes to the older patients, ‘one of the best tools we have is the chat’. “The oldies get me, emotionally. I have such a soft spot for the elderly.”
She’s delivered four babies ‘on the road’. The first was when she was an intern. She was taught at university that second and third babies often ‘fly out’, and she ended up catching the baby in the back of the ambulance.
Born in South Australia, her family came from Vietnam 40 years ago. Her parents still run a market garden in Virginia, South Australia. Nhi’s long-term aim is to get her dad to visit the doctor once a year for a health checkup!
Nhi will be marrying her fiancée Camilla in 2024
TARNYA – Paramedic
Tarnya is a no-fuss mum of two, who started her career as a nurse. She worked in the Air Force before going back to university to study paramedicine. The 36-year-old is married to a police officer and plays cricket in her spare time. She’s a role model to her young girls and is passionate about showing them that you can achieve anything with hard work and determination.
“Healthcare in general has provided this camaraderie that I crave. Working alongside great people makes it “not work”, it’s fun and I look forward to doing it every day. I like to make a difference and contribute to my community. It’s a great career choice and one I am glad I eventually had the courage to take on!”
Tarnya responds well to paediatric jobs, especially if the children in need are the same age as her two daughters. “I can relate to them and talk about kids’ tv shows.”
“My daughters always ask me what number ambulance I’m driving in case they see me on the road…so they can wave”.
BILL – Solo Responder
Bill and his wife Clare are both Intensive Care Paramedics, and Bill has grown up surrounded by ‘health chatter around the dinner table’. His father is an orthodontist, so is his brother. One sister is a doctor and another is a nurse and paramedic.
“After 11 years I still find it rewarding… no matter how big or small the job is. The friendships you make within the job are also really important and a lot of my friends are paramedics.”
Bill has delivered eight babies during his 11 years in the service. He also recently became a dad for the first time with his wife, Clare. He now both dreads and loves callouts to children in need. “Any cases with relatability to your own life are difficult.
“Because Adelaide is small, there is always a worry that you could know your next patient!”
DAN – Solo Responder
A 19-year veteran of the Ambulance Service, Daniel still remembers his first nightshift all these years later. He attended an horrific car accident. “I think it was a sink or swim moment. And I swam. I realised then that I had an ability to cope with some of the horrors we see.”
Daniel is the coach of his son Micah’s football team, and sees many parallels between sport and emergency responding. “It’s not a sport because the stakes are far higher, but you’ve got a challenge, you’ve got to perform and get through it with your team. And there’s a lot of satisfaction from getting through it.”
In his nearly 2 decades as a paramedic, Daniel has seen just about everything. “I’m confident in my ability, but you can never be 100% confident otherwise it will bite you on the ass.”
HANNAH– Solo Responder
Hannah has only just qualified as an Intensive Care Paramedic. It’s a daunting step up, but she’s ready for the challenge after 11 years with services in South Australia and Abu Dhabi in the UAE.
When working in Abu Dhabi, Hannah tandem skydived for her birthday. The thrill kicked in and now she dives solo back home in Australia. She also loves scuba diving and snowboarding
There were no alcohol-related traumas in Abu Dhabi as people there don’t drink. However, there were more road traumas because of the higher speed limits. Hannah has seen just about everything in her career, and has delivered two babies which were ‘exciting and fun’.
AARON – Intensive Care Paramedic
Paramedics inspired Aaron as he was growing up. His father had several rounds of cancer treatments and surgery, and is now back to full health. Dad’s ‘don’t sweat the small stuff’ philosophy has definitely rubbed off on Aaron.
Aaron says the role of a paramedic isn’t just to say ‘hi, take this medication’, its’s to help and support people through what could be the worst day in their life.
“If I can get someone to smile, laugh or just make the experience as positive as possible I will do everything I can to do so”. “You get to be a friend, and someone people feel safe with”.
“I bring fun into the workplace and laughter. I always have a professional outlook but also won’t hold back when it comes to having a laugh and reminding friends that its ok to be human and interact like one, we aren’t all robots”.
He dreads asthma cases as they can deteriorate quickly. “You can see the fear in people’s eyes. It’s horrible.”
LAURA – Intensive Care Paramedic
Laura loves the challenge of her job, even though her mother frets about the awful things she might see every day. Seizures and strokes are at the top of her list of favourite jobs. “I really like neuro stuff because everyone presents differently.” The same goes for chest pain. “Never assume what’s going on. It could be indigestion or a massive heart attack.”
Laura is ready for anything except children. ‘Ewwww’ she says, at the thought of having them. The hardest part of the job is the sheer difficulty of getting to patients in awkward situations. “You’re in people’s homes trying to do things with bad lighting. There’s no 360-degrees access like there would be at a hospital. There can be extrication issues. The medical you are trained for, but there are so many other complexities.”
Laura admits “she can talk underwater” and her chat and sunny personality light up patient’s lives.
SALLY– Intensive Care Paramedic
Mother of five, Sally knows exactly what it’s like to have a horrifying day. She called the ambulance her 9-month-old son fell from a bunk. Already trained as a paramedic, fear and panic still filled her at the sight of her child losing so much blood.
Her experience of raising kids and training as a paramedic (she had her fourth child during her final year of study) proves that having a family shouldn’t get in the way of having a career.
She loves being called to jobs for kids. “I’m conscious of being extremely empathetic to the patient and their family. I want to make the experience as least traumatic as possible and offer as much reassurance as I can. I know how it feels to fear for your child.”
Sally also relishes the mental health calls. “Someone is in crisis. If you handle it the right way you can make a difference in someone’s life. The best gift you can give someone is to let them know that you care.”
OLIVIA– Intensive Care Paramedic
Her Dad might still worry that working nights and weekend shifts isn’t so great for his daughter, but there was no way Olivia would be satisfied in a 9-5 office job.
She loves the variety and the excitement. “Some people you would never otherwise meet in this life. Everyone has a story, and I like to ask that story”. She’s popular in her team, probably because she’s so easy going and caring. Maybe it’s the baked goods she brings in, or the soup for the team.
The mother of two finds it easy to empathise with parents of sick children. The cases she dreads are gastro - because it’s so contagious.
Olivia and her paramedic partner Sally like to call themselves ‘four-digit dinosaurs’ because their paramedic number only has four digits. New paramedics have about 10 numerals in their records.
