in 1887 six Ashford Litters were purchased by St John Ambulance Association after Lady Janet Clarke (of Rupertswood) and her friends raised enough money to allow these items to be ordered. These were Victoria's first official ambulances. The litter consisted of a two wheeled undercarriage with elliptical springs which supported a stretcher. It has four legs which support the carriage when stationary but fold up to form handles so that one person could push the machine while another pushed. Four Ashford Litter ambulances were located at the Russell Street, Little Bourke Street, King Street and West Melbourne police stations. Another was located at the Melbourne Town Hall on Swanston Street and from 1896 the sixth was located at the Eastern Hill Metropolitan Fire Brigade station. Initially is was expected that police and fire fighters would take patients to hospitals if required.Two wheeled ambulance cart with sprung wheels.ashford, ashford litter, st john

Signs like this were placed at the front of ambulance stations.Painted sign with white background and red lettering.VICTORIAN CIVIL AMBULANCE SERVICE

Cream background with red impressed textGeelong & District Ambulance Servicegeelong

Probably the oldest cap in the museums collection.Black fabric cap with white cap band and silver badge at front. Black eye shade.VICTORIAN CIVIL AMBULANCE SERVICE

Probably used by the early ambulance services in metropolitan Brisbane, Possibly used in regional areas as city services developedTwo wheeled cart with sprung wheels, stretcher fitted and hoop frame for patient weather cover.ambulance queensland

Pink dot matrix document with printer holes on both sides. 8 perforated pages and white National Bank of Australasia receipt stapled right corner.DEPOSIT FOR ACCOUNT AT THE NATIONAL BANK OF AUSTRALASIA LIMITEDfinance

Fold out Christmas card. Features water colour image of fishing boats tied up on beachGREETINGSchristmas

Mobile syringe pump. Used in MICA ambulances and air ambulances. Set and monitored drug flow rates. This example used in air ambulance HEMS 4BCream coloured medical equipment with green panel and press buttons at frontPERFUSOR SPACE HEMS 4B

Not carried in ambulances but made available to ambulance officers if burns cases needed treatment. These items were not considered a success and were rarely used and soon replaced by better dressings. Source Chas Martin AHSV curator.Rolled yellow foam sheet in clear plastic bag.

Cast metal circular badge mounted on chip board (the later not being original to object)VICTORIAN CIVIL AMBULANCE SERVICE

Instruction booklet for infant incubators in AHSV collectionBlack and white printed 27 page brochure. Photograph of incubator/humidy crib on front cover.THERMOCOT CIGincubator

Brochure provides information on the use and maintenance of port-o-cot infant incubators/humidycribs.8 page brochure. Cover has brown stripe down right hand side with a photograph of a nurse place a term-o-cot humidicrib in the back seat of a car THE SAFE TRANSPORT OF TINY BABIES

This wooden humidicrib came from Cobram ambulance station which was part of the old Goulburn Valley Ambulance Service. When the need for humidicribs was understood, none were available at Cobram. Not prepared to wait for a humidicrib to be issued to them, local ambulance officers made their own! If you look carefully you will see the air circulation vents and springs between the inner and outer timber boxes. These were designed to make what could be a long ride over rough roads as comfortable as possible for sick babies. Probably made in the 1950s, we do not know how many babies were saved by this particular humidicrib - but it was a success. Other ambulance services made their own after hearing about the Cobram Ambulance Station humidicrib. Source Chas Martin AHSV curator). Humidicribs are used to transport sick babies from small hospitals to major hospitals for specialist care. They work by maintaining normal body temperature and provide oxygen if needed during ambulance transit. Known by a variety of commercial names, earlier humidicribs were ones heated with water bottles. Not part of an ambulances standard equipment, humidicribs are kept in ambulance stations and carried if babies needed to be transported. In the early days before humidicribs came into use and when air ambulances did not exist, many more babies died during emergency transits than do today. A doll was sourced from St Vincent de Paul Brighton. The doll was dressed in an original hand made christening gown made in 1975 by Miss Molly Hambly from Glen Waverley (now deceased). It was used for her Great Nephew's christening in 1976. Brown timber box with top opening lid and Perspex vision/access panel in lid. inner timber cot/box free standing on springs.cobram, goulburn valley ambulance, infant, baby

Humidicribs are used to transport sick babies from small hospitals to major hospitals for specialist care. They work by maintaining normal body temperature and provide oxygen if needed during ambulance transit. Known by a variety of commercial names, earlier humidicribs were ones heated with water bottles. Not part of an ambulances standard equipment, humidicribs are kept in ambulance stations and carried if babies needed to be transported. In the early days before humidicribs came into use and when air ambulances did not exist, many more babies died during emergency transits than do today Manufactured by the Commonwealth Industrial Gases Limited (better known as CIG), Australian-made Port-O-Cot brand humidicribs came replaced timber home-made humidicribs. They had electrical heating and easy to control oxygen flow and humidity control equipment. CIG also noted that noted that: Once the baby has been placed inside, the cot need not be opened, all nursing operations being carried out through the iris armholes. Even though the baby is in complete isolation nursing is a straight forward matter… The iris armholes allow nurses to feed, weigh, take temperatures, change napkins or, in fact, carry out any procedures without changing or disturbing the atmosphere within the cot. Happily for ambulance officers and nurses, the new Port-O-Cots were also much lighter and easy to carry than their old timber ones! metal box with carry handles and Perspex opening top. Carry handles at each end.PORT-O-COTinfant

Humidicribs are used to transport sick babies from small hospitals to major hospitals for specialist care. They work by maintaining normal body temperature and provide oxygen if needed during ambulance transit. Known by a variety of commercial names, earlier humidicribs were ones heated with water bottles. Not part of an ambulances standard equipment, humidicribs are kept in ambulance stations and carried if babies needed to be transported. In the early days before humidicribs came into use and when air ambulances did not exist, many more babies died during emergency transits than do today The Thermocot Developed from the Port-O-Cot, CIG later produced the Thermocot. The new humidicrib had a number of advantages over the Port-O-Cot. Most importantly it had an over-temperature alarm and cut out. It was also calibrated in degrees Celsius as by then the metric measuring system had been introduced to Australia. It also had a front opening canopy which was easier for nursing staff to use. Metal box with Perspex opening top section. Carry handles at each end.Thermocot portable infant incubator CIGinfant

Architectural drawing for the proposed new Victorian Civil Ambulance Service headquarters at 64 Latrobe Street Melbourne. From photographs of this site after construction, it is possible that this architectural proposal was the successful design for this building.Colour drawing in black timber frame. five story building.NEW OFFICE BUILDING PARKING GARAGE AND REPAIR GARAGElatrobe street

O. Shadlow was superintendent-Secretary of the North Eastern Ambulance Service between October 1952 and June 1978.Black and white photograph of elderly man in ambulance officers uniform. Head and shoulders only.north eastern victoria district ambulance service

first training school for ambulance officers. Students and instructors named in photograph.Black and white photograph with white matting and white timber frame. Ambulances officers, nursing sisters and men in suites in front of building.AMBULANCE SERVICE - VICTORI FIRST SCHOOL OF TRAINING FOR AMBULANCE OFFICERS GEELONG - 18TH SEPT - 13TH OCT -1961geelong

presented to R.M. Syer inaugural president of the Shepparton & Mooroopna District Ambulance Committee. Committee members named in photographBlack and white photograph with grey matting and white over-painted timber frame. Group of 12 men in suits. Photograph of another man pasted into top right corner.PRESENTED TO MR R.M. SYER FOR SERVICES RENDERED AS INAUGURAL PRESIDENTshepparton & mooroopna district ambulance committee, mooroopna, shepparton

presentation shows those people who received community hero awards in 2002Black timber framed newspaper articles (x 4), comminity hero badge and community hero awards document.COMMUNITY HERO AWARDS 2002community hero awards, community hero

Bronwyn Pike, Victorian Minister fro Heath sits front row third from left. She is with the inaugural community hero award winners.Colour photograph in black frame with white matting. 21 people in groupINNAUGURAL METROLITAN AMBULANCE SERVICE COMMUNITY HERO AWARD PRESENTATION SUNDAY 15 OCTOBER 2000community hero, community hero awards