AFTER taking a woman who was clipped by a car rear view mirror to hospital in the middle of the night, paramedic Wayne Knock found himself driving past the site of the accident on his way back to station. It was nearly dawn and he had not slept, but he and his partner stopped the ambulance and began searching the scrubby roadside in the dark for the patient’s dentures.
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“It meant a lot to her because she was a pensioner and they are expensive,” the veteran paramedic said. “And that was a good thing to do for someone. It means a lot to the patient for their well-being.”
The paramedics lost their chance for a rest that shift, but they found the dentures.
On Friday, Mr Knock officially retires from NSW Ambulance after 46 years as a paramedic in Port Stephens – 34 years in Nelson Bay and the rest at Tanilba Bay.
His last shift was on Sunday, when a colleague snapped this photograph of him cleaning out the ambulance, a chore he probably could have avoided that day. But the humble, unassuming man with a tremendous heart and caring regard for both patients and workmates spent his final shift much as he had spent his first, chipping in for the team.
Mr Knock joined NSW Ambulance as a volunteer paramedic in 1970 when he was just 18. In January 1975 he became a full-time ambulance officer.
His retirement is not particularly welcome, he is very sad to leave the job he loves.
“I’d stay another couple of years if I could,” the 65-year-old said. “But you get to an age and you’re more prone to injury.
“I love the job, that’s what’s kept me in the role. That and my colleagues – they’ve been a second family to me.”
Known for his compassion, Mr Knock is highly respected for going above and beyond to ensure his patients, particularly the elderly, are put at ease.
“A lot of my ambulance transports have been long journeys so I’ve had time to chat and hold their hand,” he said. “It’s marvellous, the impact something like that has.
“I’ll sit them up as we go over a bridge so they can see the water. Sometimes they’re from a nursing home, so they very seldom get out and they really appreciate it.”
Mr Knock is also known for his clean ambulances, a chore he embraced because “it’s a morale booster for everyone”.
He praised his managers, especially for the compassion shown to him when he lost his wife 14 years ago. He was also grateful for the camaraderie with other emergency workers, thanking his police and fire brigade colleagues for their friendship.
He is looking forward to cycling and walking holidays and spending time with his children and granddaughter.
NSW Ambulance chief executive Dominic Morgan congratulated Mr Knock.
“In an era of multiple career changes, NSW Ambulance has a proud history of staff serving decades in the role, paramedic Knock among them,” Mr Morgan said. “NSW Ambulance thanks paramedic Knock … and wishes him all the best.”
