Yarn with Daniel Willis, St John Ambulance

Riding around the Show grounds in their green and yellow uniforms, Daniel Willis and his fellow bikers can be spotted swerving through the crowds daily at the Show.

Daniel has been volunteering as a part of St John’s Bicycle Emergency Response Team at the Sydney Royal Easter Show for six years, but first started treating patients as a cadet when he was 14.

Since a young age, Daniel has been interested in pre-hospital care and becoming a paramedic with the NSW Ambulance Service, where he is currently employed.

He believes St John was the perfect stepping stone in getting the relevant training and experience he needed.

To be a part of the Response Team, Daniel had to undertake an intense training to prepare him for the unique role on the field.

“Our main aim is to provide a rapid response service to patients at major events such as the Sydney Royal Easter Show,” he explained. “The aim is to get to patients quickly and start treating them as soon as we can.”

For Daniel, being a part of the Emergency Response Team is more than just treating patients. It’s also about working closely with his colleagues and the Show’s “good social atmosphere”.

“We get to socialise with a lot of the members because we’re not always busy tied up treating patients at the Show,” he said. “Being a part of the bike team also means we get to ride around the Showground and see the exhibits.”

Compared to other roles at St John, bikers have a high profile at the Show.

 “We get used quite a lot for PR exercises and we sort of become the face of the organisation while we’re out there, riding through the crowds,” he said.

At the Show, Daniel has enjoyed watching the rodeo in the Commonwealth Bank Arena, while waiting nearby in case of an injury.  

“The bulls are a bit scary but they’re good fun,” he laughed.

In addition to the Show, Daniel and his team have treated patients at other major events, such as Big Day Out, Good Vibrations, Future Music Festivals, Soundwave, City to Surf and New Year’s Eve celebrations.

Working mostly behind the scenes, St John has attended to over 800 patients at this year’s Show, treating scratches, stomach discomforts, people fainting and occasionally referring a few to hospital care.