New Public Access Defibrillators Installed in Hornsby & Ku-ring-gai

A major community safety initiative is currently unfolding across our communities, driven by a powerful partnership between Community Bank Lindfield and St John Ambulance NSW.

This life-saving collaboration is set to install ten St John G5 fully automatic defibrillators across the Hornsby and Ku-ring-gai LGAs, strategically placed in high-foot-traffic hubs where they are needed most.

The urgency of this project cannot be overstated. Out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrest impacts more than 26,000 Australians annually.

With survival rates currently below 10%, the first few minutes are absolutely critical. While only 1 in 10 Australians feel “very confident” to provide first aid, a shock from a bystander using an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) can triple the chance of survival, potentially increasing it to as high as 70%.

So far, two key locations have been activated namely West Pymble Pharmacy and Eastern Road Pharmacy, Turramurra.

The defibrillators being installed were funded by a grant of $38,250 from Community Bank Lindfield as part of their 21st Birthday celebrations back in January 2025.  The grant was for 10 publicly accessible defibrillators across Hornsby and Ku-ring-gai council areas.

In the case of both locations, they are ideally situated near local parks and sporting facilities, this device ensures that residents and weekend athletes have immediate access to life-saving technology.

Pharmacist Ben Wilkins, proprietor of Eastern Road Pharmacy was a first mover in advocating for these defibrillators.

On Friday 17 April, The AED was launched at Eastern Road Pharmacy. Nicolette Boele, Federal MP for Bradfield was in attendance and took part in practicing compressions along with locals, volunteers from St Johns Ambulance and staff from the Community Bank Lindfield.

Dominic Teakle, CEO of St John Ambulance NSW has been present at both locations to welcome the new defibrillators along with Jennifer Anderson OAM, Chair of Ku-ring-gai Financial Services Limited.

“Every community deserves access to life-saving equipment,” says Ben Wilkins, proprietor of Eastern Road Pharmacy. “Our location means we’re well-placed to support the wider community when it matters most.”

Local man, Bruce welcomed the new defibrillator in his community. Bruce had collapsed in the Turramurra pharmacy nine months ago and he recalled that “if I had been in a bad way and needed a defibrillator it would have certainly been a marvellous result”