“Born-and-bred” Katherinite Rhys Dowell took over the reins from former OIC Mandy Paradise on August 31 and explained to the Katherine Times that, despite a long association with the organisation, he had not considered a career as a full-time paramedic until his mother died in 2006.

“I was involved with St John through the cadet program from sort of 2001 or so,” he said.

“Back when I was a cadet, it was always an interest of mine, and with Mum passing away in 2006, that sparked a bit of interest.

“I then volunteered with the adult division for about two or three years before becoming a paramedic.”

It has been a meteoric rise through the ranks for Mr Dowell, which culminated in him being crowned the Northern Territory’s Paramedic of the Year in 2011.

Mr Dowell said an acting OIC role had allowed him to gain experience for when the permanent position became available.

“It’s one of those things where Mandy put her hand up for leave and I threw my hat in the ring to get that acting role,” he said.

“I got a small taste of it then.”

With Katherine paramedics covering a region that spans between the West Australian and Queensland borders, Mr Dowell said strong relationships needed to be forged to ensure patient care could be delivered in a timely manner.

“We’re a remote area, so we’ve got to keep an eye on our capabilities,” he said.

“I think the distances that we do cover make it challenging, but we get a lot of great support from the clinics [in communities] and we often meet them halfway along the road to transfer a patient.”

While he admitted the new role would force him to spend a bit more time behind a desk overseeing paramedic training and co-ordinating day-to-day operations, Mr Dowell said the title change would not alter his commitment to those in need of emergency medical assistance.

“For me, being a paramedic is all about the public interaction,” he said.

“It doesn’t matter if they’ve just stubbed their toe.

“We don’t come into the job for the glory; we’re an advocate for the patient.

“It’s still very much going to be a hands-on role for me but there’s more administration and professional development training for me to organise.

“Also under my banner here, I’m the superintendent of both the junior and cadet volunteers.”

Despite the manic nature of paramedic life and his new responsibilities, Mr Dowell urged Katherinites to approach him if they wanted to learn more about what happened behind the scenes.

“My door’s always open to the community,” he said.