‘Everyone called him uncle’: Kawakawa’s Wally Lipsham retires after 32 years as a St John paramedic

Long-time Kawakawa St John paramedic Wally Lipsham enjoyed primary school visits, like this one to Kāeo School.

If Wally Lipsham thought he could quietly slip off home to bed after his final night shift, he was very much mistaken.

When the long-serving Hato Hone St John paramedic returned to Kawakawa ambulance station after his final callout, just after 6am on January 13, he expected to find a deserted building.

That’s certainly how it seemed at first — but when he walked inside, he found the station packed to the gunnels with colleagues from St John, Fire and Emergency NZ and police, all there to show their appreciation for more than 30 years’ service.

Lipsham said he had a final job just after 5am, and when it was done his sidekick, Melanie Uren-Witehira, kept insisting they had to get going and that she’d finish the paperwork back at the station. It was out of character, but he still suspected nothing.

“When we got back, there was nothing out of the ordinary until we walked into the smoko room. They all cornered me in there. It was moving. Geez, I don’t know how I held it together.”

Among those taking part was Kawakawa fire chief Wayne Martin, who said Lipsham’s last-minute callout almost scuppered their plans.

Instead of surprising him at 5.30am, they had to hide in the station until he returned about 6.20am.

“He walked into the lounge, saw us all there, and said, ‘You buggers’.”

Wally Lipsham’s emergency service colleagues wait in Kawakawa’s St John Ambulance station to give him a surprise farewell. Photo / Peter de Graaf

Kawakawa’s firefighters felt relief whenever they arrived at an emergency and saw Lipsham there, Martin said.

“We’d feel everyone was safe, that the person who needed help was in the best possible hands.”

Lipsham had also served as a volunteer firefighter for several years, so he understood how the brigade worked.

“Everyone called him uncle. His manner with patients and family members in those stressful situations was awesome. He was so well-known around the district, people felt really comfortable with him. He knew when to be a bit more assertive, and when not.”

Kawakawa’s Wally Lipsham (centre) gets a send-off from his emergency service colleagues after 32 years as a St John paramedic in the Bay of Islands town.

Lipsham (Ngāti Kawa, Ngāti Rahiri) was raised in Oromāhoe and originally trained as a fitter and turner.

One day his boss, a volunteer ambulance driver, brought him along to the ambulance station. He was hooked straight away.

Lipsham worked his way up through the grades as a volunteer until one of the paramedics moved to Australia.

“St John asked me if I could fill the position for a couple of weeks while they looked for a replacement. I said, ‘Yep’, and I’ve been there ever since.”

Apart from a three-year stint in Whangārei, Lipsham spent his entire career in Kawakawa.

“It’s the most rewarding job I’ve ever had. It’s just a magnet. I really enjoyed the results. You lose a few, but the pros outweigh the cons.”

The positives included delivering babies — he can’t recall how many, but there were “quite a few”, not even counting the ones born in the back of the ambulance on the way to Whangārei — and treating people who’d had cardiac arrests or aneurysms (brain bleeds).

“I still get people coming up to me saying I saved them. But I was only doing my job.”

Lipsham said he had enjoyed being part of the community and especially the primary school visits, often together with police and the fire brigade.

Night shifts could be tough, but they were just part of the job, he said.

“I’d recommend it to anyone. The people you meet, they all touch you in some way. People remembering me gives me the biggest buzz, though mostly I can’t remember them. There’s been so many.”

Wally Lipsham at home in Kawakawa with his wife Meriana. Photo / Peter de Graaf

Lipsham, who is married to Meriana and has three children and two grandchildren, has no plans as yet for his retirement. He may end up doing patient transfers for St John, but for now his priority is “just kicking back”.

Sarah Gummer, Hato Hone St John operations manager for the Bay of Islands, said Lipsham had been an “incredibly well-respected ambulance paramedic” for the past 32 years.

“He has trained and mentored many of the local ambulance officers and is well-loved by all the staff and community in the ambulance service and hospital alike. Many staff are quite bereft that he has retired, but everyone wishes him all the best,” she said.