Channel 7 News recently covered the ECMO machines that Blue Ribbon Foundation and its partners with your support and donations have helped save lives.

Watch through the link below:

https://fb.watch/mSwLQXz80J/

The Blue Ribbon Foundation Ararat Branch on Saturday awarded the ‘Spirit of Football’ awards for the “Fairest & Best” players from the Ararat & District Junior Football Association.

Winners were Edward Astbury (Rovers), Charlie Billett (Warriors), Owen McKinnon (Bombers) and Hunter Newberry (Mounties). Congratulations to all players.

The Award was given for the player who plays fairly, very much a team player and looks after his footy mates on and off the field and promotes the ‘spirit of what footy is all about’.

Photo provided by Brad Billett.

The Victoria Police Blue Ribbon Foundation Ararat Branch presented a cheque for $70,000 to East Grampians Health Service as part of its commitment to the purchase of a new Ultrasound system.

The donation is the first instalment in the project, with the Branch expecting to make another donation prior to Christmas and complete the full $135,000 project following the Grampians ‘Ride to Remember’ in February. The Ultrasound system was purchased and installed at EGHS recently, following the Branch’s commitment to the project.

Ararat Branch president Dianne Radford said the branch was pleased to be able to present the first instalment towards the ultrasound system.

“The Ultrasound system is another vital piece of equipment for the Medical Imaging Department, part of the recently dedicated Blue Ribbon Foundation Wing, which we are delighted to support.” Mrs Radford said.

EGHS chief executive Nick Bush thanked Blue Ribbon Foundation Ararat Branch for its generous support of the Ultrasound system project.

“Through the Foundation, we are able to provide state of the art equipment and facilities, which would not be possible if not for this generosity and support.” Mr Bush said.

In demonstrating the ultrasound system to the Blue Ribbon Foundation members, EGHS

sonographer/radiographer Amy Ferguson said the new equipment was fantastic, easy to use and provided high quality images.

“It is the same ultrasound system we have in use in our other scanning rooms, so it makes it much more efficient for our staff to use,” she said.

Pictured are EGHS sonographer/radiographer Amy Ferguson, EGHS Director of Finance Tony

Roberts and Victoria Police Blue Ribbon Foundation Ararat Branch president Dianne Radford.

Last Sunday we celebrated the life Sergeant Gary Silk, and Senior Constable Rodney Miller with the annual Hawthorn vs St Kilda Blue Ribbon Cup at Marvel Stadium.

Established in 1999, the Blue Ribbon Cup is played in their memory after they were killed in the line of duty at Moorabbin 16 August 1998.

The Blue Ribbon Cup not only pays tribute to all our police members who have fallen in the line of duty but also acknowledges the work and dedication of those who continue to serve.

Rodney’s son Jimmy presented the Cup to winning team St Kilda, while nephew Jonathan and Acting Chief Commissioner Wendy Steendam presented the best on ground.

Thank you Hawthorn Football Club and St Kilda Football Club and the AFL community for your continued support. Also thanks to the Hawks Community Foundation for providing some of the on ground photos.

Thanks to the excellent team at Box Hill, we we’re able to meet some individuals that had been saved by ECMO at the hospital. The technological advancement at the hospital has saved the lives of people who would no longer be with us had it not been for these facilities.

After delays due to Covid the Blue Ribbon Foundation last week attended Box Hill Hospital to view the Great Wall dedicated to all Victorian Police Officers who have died in the line of duty. Through this remembrance piece, fallen members of Victorian Police are proudly displayed alongside our front line care workers.

Funds from the foundation have provided Eastern Health with 3 ECMO machines in ICU which have helped save over 60 lives. The donation Box Hill Hospital by Blue Ribbon Foundation marks the foundations largest in our history. This donation in 2019 marked our 30th anniversary as a foundation and helped to provide life-saving service that pumps and oxygenates a patient’s blood outside the body, allowing their heart and lungs to rest.

We thank those who provided support to this project including Eastern Heath, Lotus Energy, BankVic, Free Masons Victoria and EFNL.

This week, together with our Blue Ribbon Foundation Ararat branch and East Grampians Health we hosted a Police Memorial Dedication Ceremony in Ararat to honour the life and service of fallen police members with medical facilities dedicated in their honour.

The ceremony featured the dedication of the new Blue Ribbon Foundation Wing of East Grampians Health Service (Ararat Hospital), which includes the Medical Imaging and Pathology Departments, which houses the new x-ray machine funded by the Ararat branch. The wing was dedicated in honour of the 175 Victoria Police officers who have died in the line of duty.  During the ceremony we re-dedicated previous memorial projects with the unveiling of new plaques which will feature at the hospital including the Urgent Care Centre, Emergency Helicopter Landing Pad and Medical Imaging Dept named in honour of Sergeant John McNally and the Perioperative Unit named in honour of Police Recruit Jason Bond.

The ceremony also included a special tribute to Terry Weeks APM OAM for his 20 years leadership of the Blue Ribbon Foundation Ararat branch. Terry’s wife Pauline and their family unveiled a special tribute plaque that will be mounted at the Ararat Hospital in his honour.

We thank the eight serving and veteran police members who read the names of the 175 Victoria Police officers who have died in the line of duty, this was an emotional and moving part of the ceremony.

The Blue Ribbon Foundation Ararat Branch committee together with their volunteers and with amazing support from the local community and sponsors have given their time and resources over 21 years to raise an incredible $1 million to honour fallen Victoria Police members and support their local community hospital services. Their commitment to ‘Remembering Lives by Saving others’ has enabled this Dedication and contribution to East Grampians health to occur.

We thank the Chief Commissioner Shane Patton, East Grampians Health, Ararat Rural Council, local police members, the Weeks, Bond and Moore families and all our special guests that supported this dedication.

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