Tall, big and bearded, Mount Warrigal man Shane Jones is known by the nickname 'Bear' to many of the people who join him on camping and four-wheel-driving adventures.
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"When I go bush and I go to sleep, I actually snore," the Black Diamond 4x4 club member said.
"One time, I was told that I sound like a bear one time, and the name just sort of stuck, so I went with it.
"Now I've made it a rule that anyone who comes on my trips has to bring along a stuffed teddy bear."
So when Mr Jones heard that his local ambulance station used teddies and other cuddlies to help comfort kids being treated by paramedics, he jumped at the chance to help collect them to help more kids.
The club, which has over 100 members, handed over dozens of toys to the ambulance station at the weekend.
Oak Flats NSW Ambulance Inspector Nathan O'Brien said they would be used to comfort young children.
"When they are obviously upset, some of them take a lot of comfort in a teddy bear or some soft toys," he said.
"So our paramedics might go to a young child who has fallen over and broken their arm, and - say if that's a four-year-old - we'd normally transport them with mum or dad in the back of the ambulance.
"We try and build a rapport with them and give them a soft toy - which nine times out of 10 works really well to help them."
Kate McIlwain
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
