Tara Murray
For western suburbs paramedic Alex Medancic, coming to work each day doesn’t feel like work.
Williamstown born and bred, Mr Medancic has seen plenty of good and bad over the years as he celebrates 40 years in the Ambulance service, working across the west.
“Time flies in the job I enjoy doing so much,” he said.
“It’s one of those jobs that doesn’t feel like coming to work.”
Mr Medancic became a volunteer for the St John Ambulance Victoria in Footscray in 1969 and it would be on the job that he would get the idea to work in the emergency services field.
He originally commenced with the Melbourne Port Authority as a first aid officer before taking up employment with the then Melbourne Ambulance Service (MAS) in 1981.
“I was volunteering at Calder Park Raceway and I thought that it wouldn’t be a bad career. The opportunity to get into the port authority came up and it gave me a bit of change,” he said.
“I was there for five and half years and I was interested in becoming an ambulance officer.”
Mr Medancic later became a MICA paramedic. He has been based at Sunshine for a number of years.
“That was always my goal when I started as a paramedic. It has led me to see some good cases and some very sad cases.”
Mr Medancic said it had been a hard job, but there were plenty of good moments along the way. He said he tried not to look back too much.
“I went to one job in Kensington in 1997 and this fellow was having a cardiac arrest. His dad came running outside and said to his son: ‘Don’t worry, that’s Alex, he treated me for my heart attack a few years ago’.
“So I had treated the father and son for the same medical issue and the dad had remembered me.”
Mr Medancic, who grew up in Williamstown and has lived in the west his whole life, was quick to give praise to his family.
“Families don’t get thanked enough for their sacrifice,” he said.
“We aren’t there for big periods of their lives. Karen [his wife] has had to put up with a lot of me grumpy when I’m tired and need sleep.
“She has been very supportive.”
Mr Medancic said he looks back on his career in five year blocks and sees improvements of how they have been able to better serve the community.
He said he loved watching the new generation coming through and had been proud of them and what they were doing in difficult situations.
He said he was planning to continue working for a number of years yet.
Ambulance Victoria Senior Team Manager MICA 2 Paul Robertson said Alex had mentored many paramedics as a clinical instructor during his career and had also been an acting team manager and clinical support officer.
“He loves his position as a MICA paramedic and he has a genuine caring heart, particularly for his patients,” he said.
“Alex won’t hesitate to offer his assistance to his team manager or anyone else at the time and he is the most reliable person too.
“He is avid in supporting fellow MICA paramedics, ALS paramedics and new graduates in their development. He is always making himself available to assist wherever he can.”
