PAST EVENTS

Over the years we've held meetings, congerences, gatherings ... here's just a few of them.

• King Island Gathering (May 13th-15th 2011)

  50 mainland Tasmania volunteers from 21 stations joined 18 of their King Island colleagues for three days of education and social events at the Association's 6th Gathering, focussed on remote area emergency services. There were excellent sessions on medical retireval and paediatric emergencies. The Saturday and Sunday night meals provided were highlights, with the hat competition a stand-out success. Many thanks from everyone for the hospitality and superb organisation by King Island's VAOs.

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• Coles Bay Gathering (November 19th-21st 2010)

  92 VAOs from 20 stations accross the state met up in November 2010 at Coles Bay. There were excellent outdoor Case Management Exercises, as well as a number of excellent theory sessions at the Community Hall. The Saturday night meal and trivia night was a great success, with many volunteers in costume.
  
  
  

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• Gumleaves Gathering (November 13th-15th 2009)

  75 VAOs representing 19 stations enjoyed a great weekend at the Association's 5th Gathering on Tasmania's east coast in November 2009. The highlight was an exhausting MCI Exercise involving the crash of two mini buses and a car, with over 20 victims. There were also some excellent sessions on mental health and forensics. As always, the Saturday night meal provided great entertainment .. this Gathering's dinner theme was "V".

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• Camp Banksia Gathering (Port Sorell May 16th-17th 2009)

  46 VAOs from 18 stations met up at Port Sorell for the Association's 3rd Gathering. The strong contingent from the Port Sorell First Response Unit were excellent hosts. The sessions were many and varied, but the highlight would again have to be the Saturday night dinner, this time with a "blood" theme. The Minister of Health, Lara Giddings was our special guest.

• The Lea Gathering (Hobart November 28th-29th 2008)

  The second VAO Gathering was another good mix of learning and socialising opportunities, with 50 Volunteer Ambulance Officers representing 16 VAO units across Tasmania and the islands gathered at The Lea, just south of Hobart. The Saturday night dinner included the now famous (or infamous) ʺYou are Not Aloneʺ game which was won by Wendy Hains, and Jack Van Tatenhove entertained the group with another bedtime story - Cinderella according to Roald Dahl.

• Weindorfers Gathering (Gowrie Park May 16th-18th 2008)

  The venue at Mount Roland was picturesque, the venue welcoming and the food divine with lots of variety. The weekend illustrated the wealth of talent among the 30 VAOs from 14 stations, with the two main sessions being conducted by Ann Taylor (Manual Handling) & Colin George (Enhancing Personal Safety). Fourteen VAO groups were represented and several new friendships were formed.

• Ambulance 2020 Summit (Hobart February 5th 2008)

  We conducted a very well attended Forum in Hobart on the 5th February, attracting all of Tasmania's main media outlets, half a dozen or so Legislative Councillors, several volunteers and salaried officers from far-flung areas of the state, and a smattering of stake holders.

  It would not have been coincidental that the Treasurer, Michael Aird, chose that morning immediately prior to the Forum to announce that the Ambulance Usage Fee 'would not fly', but offered no specifics on what he would do instead. So the focus of the Forum shifted from criticism of the Usage Fee to an explanation of the need for new, predictable and reliable funding for the Tasmanian Ambulance Service.

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