Good news rang out across the Goulburn electorate on Wednesday afternoon, as Member for Goulburn Pru Goward announced the distribution of a further 11 defibrillators for sporting clubs across her region.
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In a press release, Ms Goward announced that local sporting clubs have been awarded a total of $14,300 in funding to put towards defibrillators.
These clubs were spread across Yass, Crookwell, Goulburn, and the Southern Tablelands.
One such club was the Yass Netball Association, and president Sue Jephcott was pleased to learn of the news.
”Obviously we were successful in our application, which is great,” Ms Jephcott said.
“We feel positive that we can offer players and spectators that type of assistance if they need it at any time.”
Since so many local sporting organisations are not-for-profit, Ms Jephcott believes that grants like this will significantly ease the burden and allow them to promote the club in other ways.
”We get limited funding from sponsors as it is,” she said.
“Yass is very generous in supporting Yass netball, however there’s not a great deal of funding left over for purchases like this.
“It is really important that the government offers these to clubs like our own.”
According to Ms Jephcott, it will allow the association to focus on ensuring that Yass can offer a high level of competition for its players.
“We’re taking the girls to State Age in July, which was always on the cards,” Ms Jephcott said.
“We’re taking three teams up there for three days of competition, so there’s always lots of fundraising going on to help cover the cost of getting the girls there.
“We’re always looking for funding.”
The defibrillator was applied for jointly by the Yass Netball Association, the Yass District Cricket Association, and the Yass Roos Football Club jointly, as they share resources at Joe O’Connor Park.
Many local clubs across the Goulburn electorate have applied for the Local Sport Defibrillation Program, and Ms Goward was thrilled that there was such strong support.
“So far more than 430 defibrillators have been allocated across the state and I am confident the addition of 11 defibrillators across Goulburn will benefit hundreds of local players and spectators,” Ms Goward said.
In the unlikely event that a defibrillator will be needed, it can also greatly improve a victim’s chances of surviving a cardiac episode.
“More than 33,000 Australians experience cardiac arrest every year and early access to CPR and defibrillation can influence survival rates by up to 75 percent,” Minister for Sport David Ayres said.
