General News
7 May, 2025
Uniting Church looking out for community safety with new defibrillator
The Uniting Church on Scallan Street is Stawell’s newest home for a AED Defibrillator thanks to a grant provided by the Stawell Gold Mine.
The Uniting Church on Scallan Street is Stawell’s newest home for a AED Defibrillator thanks to a grant provided by the Stawell Gold Mine.
The Automated External Defibrillator (AED) is a great tool to help those who experience cardiac arrest.
“There’s a lot of older people in this church, but anybody of any age can have a medical incident,” Uniting Church minister Damian Tann said.
“It’s also a good resource for the community, we’re a building that many people know exists, so it’s good to have that kind of thing available in a place [like the church] that’s so visible.”
The purchase of the AED Defibrillator was made possible by a grant from the Stawell Gold Mine.
Mr Tann said the church had been talking about applying for grant money to get the device as some have had experience working in emergency services before.
“I’m actually a chaplain with VCC Emergency Ministry. I’ve had a bit to do with Ambulance Victoria in the past, and some of our [members] are ex-CFA, so there is that mindset and connection around emergency,” he said.
The new AED defibrillator is located inside the Uniting Church, and can be accessed between the hours of 9am and 6pm.
Mr Tann is a GoodSam volunteer – a trained responder who can help before the Ambulance arrives.
He can be alerted via an app when someone calls Triple Zero for a cardiac arrest.
“I live next to the Church as the Minister, I can grab the defib and be somewhere else in [little] time,” he said.
AED Defibrillators can be registered with Ambulance Victoria so that when an emergency happens, one can be located nearby.
In Stawell, there are 23 registered AED Defibrillators located around town.