After watching her mother, Lisa, work on the frontline as an Ambulance Victoria (AV) Ambulance Community Officer (ACO) in Corryong, Maisie Pilli was inspired to follow in her footsteps.
Volunteering runs deep in the Pilli family with Maisie and her siblings already being members of the Country Fire Authority (CFA).
For Maisie, donning the AV uniform was another way to give back to the community she loves.
“Mum was an ACO for many years before I even thought about joining myself and through her I got to see how rewarding it can be,” she said.
“She thought I would be another good person to do the job and there were a few things that happened that made me want to be able to provide medical help to someone in need.
“I’ve been on the road as an ACO for about 18 months now and it’s gone so quickly, I’m really enjoying it.”
ACOs are First Responders, who are employed on a casual basis to work ‘on call’ in rural and remote communities where the ambulance caseload is low and the ambulance branch is not staffed by full-time paramedics. They are trained to provide advanced first aid, to support qualified paramedics and can transport patients to hospital.
An ACO of 12 years standing, Lisa said working alongside Maisie has only strengthened their bond and allowed them to learn from each other.
“It’s really special being able to do this with Maisie and watching her grow in the role and develop her skills,” she said.
“It’s really meaningful and rewarding to be able to contribute to our close-knit community and support others when they need it most.”
Maisie said her and her siblings are incredibly proud of their mother.
“It’s hard to not look up to her because the number of hours she’s given to the community is outstanding and she keeps picking up new things to do,” she said.
“To us, she is the front-runner for community engagement and is constantly trying to get messaging out there to help locals in any way she can.”
This Mother’s Day, AV is celebrating all the mums in the organisation for their work and commitment.
This article appeared in Corryong Courier, 8 May 2025.
