A community has reflected on a harrowing event late last year, in which some quick-thinking residents and a publicly-accessible defibrillator saved a life.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Last October, community members began raising concerns on social media about the lack of AED (automatic external defibrillators) in the community. While there were a number within the community, they were all behind locked doors.
With AEDs placed at police stations during recent years, such as at Ballan and Smythesdale, Sergeant Tony Walker decided to try to obtain one for the Linton Police Station.
After trying several avenues, he approached Imrey's Minerals at Pittong - a multinational company which Sergeant Walker had been in contact with for several years by participating in the national safety day of action.
Within a day of contacting them, he was informed the company would purchase an AED for Linton Police Station.
When it arrived in December 2020, Senior Constable Birthisel installed it on the external wall of the station and informed residents.
Three days later, on the morning of December 13, the defibrillator was used for the first time.
Janet McKellar awoke that morning feeling ill - she had nausea, sweats and bad chest pain.
Her partner, Hans Verdoorn, recalls her walking out the back door and then saying that something was wrong.
Hans asked nine- year-old Lexi to fetch his wife's walker, as she had knee surgery a week before.
"Then we heard Janet drop," he said. "She basically dropped dead and the colour went straight away."
Desperately rushing to the front of his house, located in Linton's main street, Hans called over the front fence for help.
His urgent cry was heard by the owner of the adjacent Linton Larder cafe, Carl Oberhauser, who rushed to help.
The urgency was there. When you hear a friend screaming for help, you just know that it's important.
- Carl Oberhauser
Carl had been out the front of the cafe to greet the first customer of the day, Daryll Lees, as he pulled up out the front to pick up his morning coffee. It was then he heard Hans calling out and saw the children crying alongside him.
"The urgency was there. When you hear a friend screaming for help, you just know that it's important."
By the time a quick-thinking Carl ran across the road, tailed by Daryll, Janet had no heartbeat or pulse.
"When I came around the corner I saw Janet facedown and she was purple head to toe," Carl said.
He rolled her over and begun CPR while Daryll called 000.
Shortly afterwards, Janet's colour returned.
At the same time Hans frantically called his brother, Frank: "help, help, help", he recalls him saying.
Frank hurriedly dressed and rushed over to his brother's house. Arriving, he found Daryll on the phone to emergency services and Carl attempting to resuscitate his sister-in-law.
Residents were aware the defibrillator had been installed and so Frank sprinted a mere 100-metres across the road to the police station to retrieve the newly installed device.
All the while, Lexi held a blanket over Janet and those who were working on her to shade them from the sun.
Continuing to do CPR on Janet, Carl was coached by the call taker on the end of the line, Kira, who helped him keep the beats per minute and asked for the phone to be placed by Janet's mouth to hear if she was breathing.
Under the instruction of Kira and the device, at least two shocks were given to Janet before Ambulance Victoria arrived at the scene and took over.
Carl described the whole incident as "pretty intense".
Paramedics continued to work on Janet for what Hans described as "a long time".
"It took a while and it was pretty hard work but we were very, very very, lucky," Hans said.
Janet was taken to hospital, where she was placed in an induced coma for a number of days.
Now, she is back on her feet.
Hans said the doctors couldn't believe how quickly his wife recovered, as she was only in hospital for four days.
"Without the defibrillator, the chances would have been very slim. The CPR alone and by the time the ambulance got here, which takes about 20 odd minutes, it probably would have been too late," he said.
Without the defibrillator, the chances would have been very slim. The CPR alone and by the time the ambulance got here, which takes about 20 odd minutes, it probably would have been too late
- Hans
Frank said the fact the defibrillator was so close "made all the difference".
"I only had to go across the road to get the [defibrillator]. We had it within two minutes and that made all the difference."
While she cannot recall what unfolded, Janet described her resuscitation as "a miracle".
"I'm so grateful they helped me. Thank you."
The community gathered with members of Victoria Police, Ambulance Victoria and Golden Plains Shire mayor Ian Getsom on Thursday, with certificates presented to those who were there.
When a heart stops beating, the chance of survival drops by 10 per cent for every minute without help. Keeping a heart-pumping more than double's a person's chance of survival.
Ambulance Victoria's Mel Buckingham said there was no doubt the AED and quick-thinking residents saved a life.
The incident was a shock for the town, with Hans describing it as something that everyone involved would remember and be affected by.
But it was a group effort - a small town coming together to help one of its own in need - that shines through.
"It was a team effort. We all chipped in in our own way and if one didn't work, I don't think we would be where we are today," Frank said.