The Rotary Club of Howrah has generously donated a vital piece of life-saving equipment to Clarence City Council, to be installed at the Clarence Mountain Bike Park in Mornington.
The club identified the park as a suitable location for an automated external defibrillator (AED) – a device that can save the life of someone experiencing a cardiac arrest.
AEDs, commonly known as ‘’Defibs’’, can detect and analyse a person’s heart rhythm, and if needed will deliver an electric shock through the chest to the heart- which can restore normal rhythm to a heart with abnormal activity.
The Clarence Mountain Bike Park is one of the busiest places on the eastern shore for recreation, with thousands of people enjoying the tracks and skills park every weekend – but riding a mountain bike does not come without risk.
“Tragically a man in his 30’s passed away from a heart attack while riding at the park not long ago, and the defib has been installed in his memory,” said Howrah Rotarian Terry Evans who was the driver of the project.
“Our club is always looking for ways to support communities close to home as well as internationally.
Clarence City Council Mayor, Brendan Blomeley, said there were over 850 AEDs installed throughout Clarence and encouraged the community to familiarise themselves with locations which can be found easily online.
“A defib gives someone suffering suddenly from a heart attack the best chance of survival,” said Mayor Blomeley.
“Clarence City Council and the wider community are grateful to the Rotary Club of Howrah for donating this potentially life-saving device.
“Council is proud to cover the costs of installation and ongoing maintenance.”
An AED is easy to use, can be used by anyone and provides a live guide for CPR and step-by-step instructions on what to do.
If you would like to look at where to find an AED in Clarence before you need one, you can go to findhelptas.org.au/program/defibrillator-locator/ or Google ‘defib near me’. In an emergency call 000.