At only 18-years-old, a young Glenn Aslin knew what he wanted to be, a paramedic.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Over four decades later, and with a resume that reflects his years of service, Mr Aslin's commitment to paramedicine has been recognised and honoured, receiving the Ambulance Service Medal in the Queen's Birthday Honours.
Born and raised in Adelaide, Mr Aslin and his family relocated to the Northern Territory where as a teenager he volunteered as a paramedic before officially starting his career at 18.
In the dry deserts of the Northern Territory, Mr Aslin worked as a clinical instructor and senior paramedic for the Royal Flying Doctors Service Uluru, and as a communications centre officer with St John Ambulance.
Despite his love for the desert, Mr Aslin left the far north and moved to Tasmania to begin his career as a paramedic with Ambulance Tasmania in 1995.
Working with Ambulance Tasmania, Mr Aslin was an active member of the Australian Medical Assistance Teams, where he was sent to several high-risk COVID-19 deployments.
As a member of AMAT he provided direct clinical support and healthcare at Howard Springs in the quarantine facility and at Melbourne nursing homes.
In 2021, he was deployed to Timor Leste where he assisted with the care and containment of their COVID-19 outbreak and provided support to increase vaccinations.
The following year in 2022, Mr Aslin travelled to King Island where he was the sole responder, providing assistance to patients before and during their hospital stay.
With decades of experience, Mr Aslin was also part of a small and "very skilled" team of extended care paramedics who provide treatment and care to patients in the home environment.
Quietly spoken and mild-mannered, the now 60-year-old said he was surprised, but pleased and proud to have been acknowledged with the honour.
He said the service medal was not just a recognition of his commitment, but a recognition of the role and value all paramedics had in the community.
"I do feel very fondly for the staff I've worked with over the years," he said,
"That gives me a lot of pleasure knowing that they're doing the job that we're training them to do and they're going out and doing the bits they need to do and they're doing it well.
"There are good reasons why the professions listed as one of the most trusted and because the people in it are very trustworthy."
Why not have your say? Write a letter to the editor here:
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
- Bookmark www.examiner.com.au
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter: @examineronline
Follow us on Instagram: @examineronlineFollow us on Google News: The Examiner