Townsville youngsters win in State competition
Recently, five Townsville locals travelled to Brisbane to compete in the St John Ambulance (Qld) State Cadet Competitions, with all members taking out a winning spot.
The State Cadet Competition involves St John Cadets from across Queensland competing in successful treatment of casualties in a wide variety of first aid scenarios, ranging from minor cuts, bumps and bruises to severe abdomen injuries and chest pains. Casualties were made up with realistic wounds, creating a real sense of drama on the day.
The Townsville Division was awarded first place in the team event, third place in the individual event and first place in the Cadet Leader event.
Emma Nolan, Jessica Williams, Panchadi Wickramasing represented Townsville in the team event. Zac Grady formed the individual team and Casey McDermott represented the Cadet Leader team.
State Youth Manager Sarah Cunningham said all Cadets represented their Divisions with great knowledge and ability of first aid.
“The State Cadet Competitions showed that each St John (Qld) Cadet is competitive and passionate about providing the best first aid care possible,” Sarah said. “However the Townsville Division took the cake - they won first in team and Cadet Leader as well as third in individual competitions.”
Each competition involved the competitor/s prioritising casualties, retrieving as much information as possible about the injured person and providing the correct first aid techniques in an allocated space of time.
“The Townsville Division showed exceptional team work, first aid knowledge as well as genuine care and concern for each casualty - the competitions provided an excellent learning tool for the members and also allowed the Cadets to showcase their skills,” Sarah said.
The Townsville Division has more than 85 members who all receive nationally accredited training in skills such as advanced resuscitation and first aid.
The Townsville Cadet Division (for people aged 8-17 years) meets every Friday at 6pm and the Adult Division (for people over the age of 18 years) meets every Monday at 7pm. All meetings are held at 36 Fleming Street, Aitkenvale. For information, contact email townsvilledivision@stjohnqld.com or call 0409 879 558.
Photo ops and interviews are available upon request.
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Media contact: Angela Madden on (07) 3253 0579.