July 8, 2019
Visitors to the Bunya Mountains can rest easier, thanks to a joint effort by the Rotary Club of Kingaroy and Andersen’s Carpets.
On Sunday, the club presented a defibrillator to the Bunya Mountains Community Association at a lunch held at Lyrics Restaurant, which was attended by members of both groups.
In what Rotary members described as “an extraordinary act of generosity”, Andersen’s Carpets donated funding for the Bunya Mountains defibrillator.
Gavin Pates, from Andersen’s, said Kingaroy Rotary had originally approached the business to sponsor an event which was aimed at raising funds for a defibrillator.
This fundraiser was part of the club’s ongoing campaign to install the devices around the region, which has been running since mid-2016.
“We looked at what Rotary wanted to do and we thought it was a very good idea, so we offered to save the club time and pay for a defibrillator ourselves,” Gavin said.
Defibrillators deliver a therapeutic dose of electrical energy to the heart which helps restore its normal rhythm when it’s beating too quickly or slowly, or when someone has suffered a heart attack.
Studies have shown that prompt access to a defibrillator can save the lives of almost 4-in-10 people suffering a heart attack, and as many as 6-in-10 suffering irregular heartbeats.
Kingaroy Rotary spokesman Ray Pitt said the club’s campaign to ensure the machines were installed at key locations around the region has so far saved at least one life the club was aware of.
The club’s campaign has led to machines being installed for free at sites as diverse as the Kingaroy Bowls Club, Kingaroy Library, the Kingaroy Red Ants rugby league club, Kingaroy Showgrounds, the Kingaroy RSL, Kingaroy Shoppingworld, SBCare, the Kingaroy Golf Club, Kingaroy Junior Soccer Club, the Kingaroy and Nanango SES groups and Nanango’s Rural Fire Brigade.
And while the group hope the machines never have to be used, it was reassuring to know they were widely and easily accessible if required.
Ray said when Andersen’s Carpets offered to sponsor the defibrillator, they asked the firm to nominate where they would like to see the machine placed.
Andersen’s nominated the Bunya Mountains partly because the area attracts so many visitors; partly because of the older demographic of permanent residents; and partly because the area’s only defibrillator at present is located with the rural fire brigade, where it’s not always readily accessible.
The new machine will be located in a cabinet mounted outside the Bunya Mountains General Store.
Ray said the site had been chosen because it’s close to the area’s main walking trails, parking, picnic and camping areas, and will be accessible 24 hours a day.
He said Kingaroy Rotary now has plans to locate three more machines over the next 12 months: at the Kumbia and Blackbutt police stations and the Kingaroy Men’s Shed.
But after these are installed, the campaign could wrap up in 2020 if no new locations can be found.
Ray said from Rotary’s point of view, club members wanted to see the machines at places where they might potentially be used – which usually meant places with an older age demographic – and where community groups could take “ownership” of a defibrillator.
“The machines are very simple to operate and do a great job but the batteries need to be replaced every five years,” Ray said.
“So we need community groups who are willing to do that and ensure the machines are looked after once they’re installed.”
Communities who believe they can meet these criteria can contact Kingaroy Rotary by phoning (07) 4162-3667.
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