The heart of Laverton: Eleanor Hill’s 35 years of service to her country community

Volunteer ambulance officer, undertaker’s assistant, animal rescuer, mother of five.  

Eleanor ‘Elly’ Hill wears many hats in the remote Goldfields town of Laverton. 

For 35 years she has been the driving force at the St John WA Laverton Sub Centre, sacrificing countless hours of her own time for the community she loves.  

Since joining SJWA in 1989, Elly has become a respected local leader and a “rock” for her team in green. 

“It was Christmas time and everyone had left town, including all the volunteers,” she said. 

“Someone asked me if I wouldn’t mind driving the ambulance because they didn’t have anyone else to do it.” 

She has since become the backbone of her country sub centre, giving it her all to ensure the service kept going despite many challenges over the past three decades.  

With a population of just 900 people and more than 350km from Kalgoorlie, finding enough volunteers to keep the Laverton sub centre staffed has been a huge challenge.  

When there is a gap in the roster or a job to be done, Elly is the first person to step up, all while juggling work and raising her children.  

Even when a community member needs help with their sick dog who is delivering puppies – Elly is the one they call.  

Former Laverton Community Paramedic Carla Robson said no one knew the region better than Elly.

“Without Elly, the sub centre might have folded, but she kept it going, at times single-handedly,” she said. 

“She is one of the most selfless people I know; she gives her community everything she can, including the mangoes off her tree.  

“When Elly volunteers on the ambulance, it’s an extension of her daily life.  

“She doesn’t put on the green uniform for glory or ego, she does it because someone in her community is in need.  

“Elly is a national treasure.” 

Elly said the volunteers she worked alongside were like a big family, and in a small town, so too were the patients she helps. 

“We all tend to look after each other – it is like a big family,” she said.  

“It is a wonderful experience, and you feel very connected with the community, 

“There is a great sense of satisfaction too when you see that person come back, perhaps after being taken away on the Royal Flying Doctor and you know they are okay.” 

Elly has led the sub centre as chairperson and vice chairperson and continues to shape its future as a committee member. 

She mentors new volunteer ambulance officers in the region and empowers other community members with life-saving skills as the town’s SJWA first aid trainer.  

Her exemplary service was celebrated earlier this year with the highest honour at the 2024 Order of St John ceremony, a moment she described as one of the “best days of [her] life”. 

She was nominated by her peers who credited her as the reason their ambulance service continues to today.  

“I think it is an extremely important part of the functioning of the town to have an ambulance or a response team available if anything should go wrong,” Elly said. 

“Over the years everybody who has been a teammate – the police, the nursing staff, the fire brigade – we have all worked together. 

“We are lucky now to have a community paramedic in Laverton at all times and it is a huge asset to the town.” 

A recent survey released for National Volunteer Week found nine in 10 Western Australians think favourably about people who volunteer, click here to learn more.  

More than 5000 volunteers contribute their time across a range of roles with SJWA from on-road emergency ambulance response in country WA, to logistics, volunteer support, community transport and Event Health Services.  

To become a volunteer visit, https://stjohnwa.com.au/changelives.