The addition of Mr Pearce means that there are now six permanent ambulance officers in Ararat, a drastic increase from the days when there were two.

Mr Pearce moved his wife, Angela, and sons Jacob and Jason to Ararat in August, when he began working at Ballarat. He transferred to Ararat in September and has been delighted with the warm welcome he and his family have received from the Ararat community.

''The town is very friendly and the surroundings are quite pretty,'' he says.

Mr Pearce worked as an ambulance officer for St Johns in Katherine for six and a half years. Prior to that he worked as a tour guide at Ayers Rock, where he also volunteered as an ambulance officer. He speaks Japanese.

Mr Pearce grew up in Keith in South Australia, and used to play football against teams from the Wimmera and Grampians regions.

''It's nice to come back to the region. I really used to enjoy coming to the Grampians as a kid,'' Mr Pearce said.

The change has not been too dramatic for Mr Pearce, who said the size of Ararat is similar to Katherine. However, there are more amenities and facilities available in Victoria. One was Ararat has access to an Air Ambulance, whereas the Northern Territory does not.