Six highly regarded Ambulance Victoria (AV) personnel have been awarded Ambulance Service Medals (ASM) in this year’s national Honours, including Maffra Advanced Life Support Paramedic, Josephine O’Doherty, who has spent mountains of time in Omeo, and Gunaikurnai man, Eddie Wright.
The ASM recognises distinguished service by members of Australian ambulance services and is awarded to a select group of outstanding ambulance personnel, as nominated by their peers, each year.
Josephine joined AV as an ambulance community officer (ACO) in 2006, qualifying as an advanced life support (ALS) paramedic in 2016 and completing the Rural Sponsored Degree Paramedic program. She has since held key roles, including paramedic community support coordinator at Omeo, team manager at Maffra, and paramedic educator.
Known for her proactive leadership, Josephine ensures branch operations run smoothly by maintaining equipment like the wilderness response supplies, conducting audits, and creating essential resources for remote case responses. She mentors new staff and actively engages in community initiatives, such as fundraising for vital equipment, delivering educational presentations, organising recycling programs, and training medical students.
As a wilderness response subject matter expert, Josephine demonstrates exceptional expertise in remote care. She contributes to skills maintenance, policy reviews, and training development, while also preparing risk assessments and assessing mountain bike trails for emergency response readiness.
Josephine’s career reflects a steadfast dedication to professional excellence and community service.
Eddie, a proud Gunaikurnai man, began his career with AV in 1990, serving as a paramedic, MICA paramedic, group manager, and for the past 15 years, regional support manager for Gippsland.
In this role, he oversees financial operations, emergency management and community engagement while championing Indigenous heritage and reconciliation efforts.
Known for his leadership in major emergencies, Eddie played pivotal roles in the 2003 and 2006 Omeo fires, the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires (including Neerim Hospital’s evacuation, recognised by the Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission), and the 2019-20 bushfires, where he supported isolated communities. He also improved
firefighter health procedures during the 2014 Hazelwood mine fire and provided vital relief as a health commander during the 2015-16 Wye River fires.
In 2024, during National Reconciliation Week, Eddie was an advocate for better identification of First
Nations patients in health settings. A sought-after speaker, he shares his extensive experience across the military, CFA and AV at community events, leaving a lasting impact through his dedication to public health and emergency response.
