Ode to the People...

Together we've...

Walked through the mud and water, ankle deep or higher;

Worked in all weather conditions, in rain, sun and snow;

Darted past speeding bikes, through the roar of their engines;

Climbed hills and fought heather to reach the people who need us most;

Driven like maniacs to get somewhere on time;

Endured the pounding of live music in our ears;

Dealt with drink, drugs and rock & roll;

Put up with drunken jokes and jeers;

Stayed up all night to keep an eye on the public;

And still be awake for the next duty the next day;

Sailed boats, driven ambulances, responded in the ERV;

Stood holding buckets to raise money for our cause;

Trained to be the very best in our life-saving abilities;

And complained about the abnormal sizes of our uniforms;

Tested the strength of each other's steel-capped boots;

Fallen out over trivial things like the best way to tie a sling;

Moaned about the temperature, it's always too hot or too cold;

Borrowed each other's jumpers because someone will have forgotten to take theirs and inevitably need it;

Avoided the sick, blood and other bodily fluids that can sometimes get in the way;

Sneakily asked advice on how to do something before putting it into practice;

Forgotten how to do something midway through helping someone;

Protested against volunteering in a certain duty and still ended up there;

Struggled through a duty even when immersed in an illness of some form;

Shared the tears, laughter, mood swings, drunken banter and pranks;

And above all, kept the team going, despite the weather, despite the day or night, the heat or the cold, the situation at hand or what we knew we were yet to face.

Here's to the team who cover our backs and become the friends we rely on when times get tough; the people who are literally life savers, one and all.

*****

Was in a poetic/sentimental mood, so this one's for everyone out there who willingly give up their time to help others. On a personal level, this is for the amazing team of people I work with who volunteer often in order to help out the public at any event, large or small.