Southland paramedic Shane Batchelor retires after 36 years. – Dave Nicoll – Southland Times
Feature photo by JOHN HAWKINS / SOUTHLAND TIMES
Shane Batchelor has a calm presence.
He’s articulate, softly spoken and carries himself well. There’s a sense of a wise man before you.
And, when the paramedic says the death penalty should be the end result for anyone producing P, you sit up and take notice of what Batchelor has to say. Sitting in the office at the Winton ambulance station in Southland, Batchelor who retired this month was the longest serving paramedic in the south after a 36 year career.
“Call me old fashioned but I believe the death penalty should be in for anyone producing P, because it kills people and they don’t care as long as they’re getting money for it.”
Experiencing first-hand the damage and impact methamphetamine had on the patients he had dealt with, Batchelor is adamant there needs to be harsher penalities for people who make or sell the drug.
Those who dealt in the drug were guilty of premeditated murder, because someone would die from their actions, he said.
The drug caused so much harm in communities, and those who dealt it would only get a few years in jail where they could just improve their ability to learn better crime, Batchelor said.
Batchelor finished his last shift as the Winton Station operations manager on Monday, and his team gave him a standing guard of honour as he walked out.
It is credit due to a man who had dedicated himself to his career, but the early days weren’t such an easy ride.
Originally from Patea in Taranaki, he moved from Wellington to Southland for work in 1972.
Being left-handed he struggled at school because back in the day students were never allowed to use their left hands to write.
He struggled with writing, fell behind, had to stay to repeat the work, and eventually gave up and left.
He was a wool presser at Mount Linton Station, worked in the mines at Ohai, drove trucks and at some point ended up living in Bluff.
A heavy drinker at the time he made a bad impression with one of the police officers.
“I wasn’t exactly what I call a model person for the community at the time.”
A constable decided Batchelor needed to do something decent for the community.
“He actually picked me up from my work in his police car to take me to the ambulance station which was directly across the road to make sure I couldn’t get away.”
Knowing nothing about first aid, when the officer first took him into a room full of people performing CPR on dummies, he thought he was seeing some kind of sex cult.
“Without a doubt thought he was inviting me into some sexual cult.”
The officer quickly cleared up Batchelor’s confusion and that act of getting him involved in the community became a turning point that Batchelor forever remains grateful for.
He started as a volunteer in 1983 in Bluff and once he got his first aid ticket he was put on to an ambulance and began a career that he would dedicated his life to.
“When I first started I was one of three Maori in New Zealand that was in the volunteer sector and I believe I was the only one in the South Island.”
When he left school with little ability to write, in fact he could only sign his name for driving and signing a docket, so he undertook a massive learning curve.
“… ambulance changed my life.”
Four years later he was with the Southland Ambulance service, and the only Maori working full time in the paid ambulance service.
For his lengthy career, dealing with racism was one of the disappointing sides to his story.
“I was certainly led to know that I was Maori and there was a lot of people who believed having Maori in the paid area, especially demeaned the status of being in the ambulance service.”
He was often reminded that he was the token Maori at times but to the credit of some his peers his detractors received a dressing down and reminded he was there because he had earned it, Batchelor said.
Having too much pride to speak out about it, he instead worked hard to show he got to where he was because he earned it.
“I knew where I wanted to be and I was determined to be there on my merit and credibility.”
In 1994 St John took over the ambulance service.
Batchelor was then made the first volunteer support officer for St John in New Zealand in 2000.
Initially trialled in Southland, more support roles were created throughout the country following the success of his work.
In 2002 he was inducted into the Order of St John for his services to the area.
Three years later in 2005, he took over the management of Winton station as an operations manager and paramedic.
His time at Winton was the most enjoyable part of his career.
He’s proud of the team he built up and confident they would continue to build on the good work done so far.
He takes up the story about a training course he attended once in Waimate.
Dressed in mufti, he arrived to teach the course for ambulance officers, but some fresh-faced officers through he might be lost.
Playing the fool, he told them he was sure he was meant to be there for the ambulance officers course.
The fresh-faced officers told him he was probably meant to be at the first aid course next door, they even checked the list of those attending the course and didn’t find his name.
Eventually to the embarrassment of the officers he pointed where his name was listed as the instructor.
He can name about three or four times in in his 36 years where his life was on the line, and he considers himself lucky in that sense.
For Bachelor, dealing with the trauma was not difficult.
Trauma, people dying … that’s easy to cope with in my mind, but it’s looking into the faces of the ones who are hurt, the ones who are left … there’s always a haunting look.”
The suicides and horrific accidents were not something he would miss.
Nor the devastation caused by methamphetamine in communities.
Never in his wildest dreams as a young man did he imagine he could be a paramedic.
“If there’s one thing I’m proud of it’s that I never forgot where I came from and that’s the volunteer base. And right through my professional career, I’ve always given back to the volunteer section.”
Volunteers were an under acknowledged group of people who contribute greatly to St John, he says.
As for retirement he plans to write a book about his experiences and plans to travel with his fiancee.
And, that wise soul flares once more with words to be followed, no matter who you are.
He says the one thing he has learned from his career is that tomorrow is never promised, so we should make the most of today.
– Stuff. Winton ambulance hours leave people in panic