71-year-old St John Ambulance volunteer, Valmai Dempsey, has been named the 2022 Senior Australian of the Year.
Ms Dempsey (pictured), from Canberra, has volunteered with St John Ambulance for more than 50 years, including during the devastating black summer bushfires.
She started with the organisation as a volunteer while still attending primary school and is one of the ACT’s longest serving volunteers.
In 2020, she faced her biggest challenge yet as a St John Ambulance volunteer – first with the ‘Black Summer’ bushfires, followed by the COVID-19 pandemic. In response, she led 40 fellow volunteers as they supported fire-affected communities during the emergency that stretched over many weeks.
Then when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Ms Dempsey displayed unwavering commitment to the St John team, despite heavy impacts on team morale. Without hesitation, she personally contacted every volunteer to check they were ‘doing OK’ in terms of welfare, mental health and morale.
It is these tireless commitments to St John that has led many in the community to know her lovingly as ‘Aunty Val’.
