First-aid champ drawn to danger

Nicola Gini at Pukekohe yesterday. Picture / Richard Robinson

Nicola Gini spent her spare time at the weekend surrounded by the noise and crashes of the V8 Supercars at Pukekohe.

Today she will be back at the intensive care unit at Starship children's hospital, and come November she is likely to be working from a children's hospital in Israel.

It's the way life is for the 35-year-old Titirangi woman, who has taken the country's top first-aid prize for the second year in a row.

She was awarded the "Champion Individual" title at the National Emergency Care Competitions, where participants are thrown into scenarios designed to test their ability to handle major trauma.

They must also sit a written test.

Ms Gini said last night there was plenty of action at the Pukekohe racetrack, "but luckily no injuries".

"There were a few decent crashes, but luckily the drivers are pretty well protected."

Ms Gini, whose parents were both members of St John, joined the service when she was just nine and was last year honoured by the Queen for her outstanding voluntary contribution to the community with a promotion to Officer within the Order of St John.

Between volunteering for St John and working as a clinical charge nurse at Starship, she has been completing her masters degree in nursing.

"My life has been study, work and St John. My husband sees me once in a while," she says.

Later this year she will probably return to Israel as part of a cardiac medical team who operate on children in hospitals in Gaza and Jerusalem.

"The last time we were there they assassinated the leader of Hamas a kilometre down the road from us," she said.

"For me, part of the appeal is the danger."

Ms Gini experienced her share of danger in New Zealand a few years ago during the Rally of New Zealand.

She and two other St John staff were on their way to the start line when they were hit head-on by a rally car which was travelling on the wrong side of the road. She suffered bad abdominal bruising but the other two had to take six weeks off work.