Recognition for Honorary Ambo - 37 years later

By Tertia Butcher

Allan Japp is the first, and possible the only recipient in Hay to receive the Honorary Bearer Medal, some 47 years after he completed his last trip behind the wheel of an ambulance.

Allan become an Honorary Ambulance Officer (Honorary Bearer as they were known then) in August 1963.

His first case was taking a patient from Hay Hospital to the Royal Melbourne Hospital – a round trip of 917 kilometres which took just under 12 hours to complete.

His next trip on September 25 was again to Melbourne as patient care attendant as they were also known back then. This round trip was just over 14 hours.

Between August 1963 and May 1975 Allan undertook some 105 cases as either driver or patient care attendant and was still available and attended several cases until mid-1977 when a second Permanent Ambulance Officer was stationed at Hay.

Allan Japp was an Honorary Bearer in the days before Hay had a permanent Ambulance Officer stationed Hay, and last week, some 47 years later, he received his Long Service Medal.

The presentation was made at The Grazier office last week by Retired Paramedic, Robert Marmont (left) who was accompanied on his very first job in Hay by Mr Japp. Image: The Riverine Grazier/Tertia Butcher.

The first job Ambulance Officer Robert Marmont undertook after arriving in Hay was with ‘Honoraries’ Allan Japp, John McNeill Simpson and Leigh Marshall.

They were called to a motor vehicle accident on the Balranald Road. The job was organised by Hay District Ambulance Co-Ordination Centre - the local telephone exchange.

“Call from the telephonist, saying MVA so many kilometres out the Balranald Road, number of injured given, ‘you are to pick up Allan Japp from outside the Chemist shop. Two other Honoraries will get the other Ambulance from the Station and proceed to the scene’,” Mr Marmont recalled.

“All details were exact, that was the way it was done back then. The telephonist always gave good and accurate information and they knew who was available and where they were.”

The Ambulance Service Long Service and Good Conduct Medal is presented to Ambulance Officers, both permanent and Honorary Staff who have served the NSW Ambulance for over 10 years.

The medal was only recently introduced and Allan’s was accepted by Retired Paramedic Station Officer Robert Marmont at a Retired Ambulance Officers’ Reunion by NSW Ambulance Commissioner Dominic Morgan at Temora.

It is believed Mr Japp is the only surviving Honorary in Hay who had served 10 years or more.