A beloved annual charity golf day in Western Australia's Wheatbelt region has raised $226,000 since its inaugural event in 1998, funding free first aid training for more than 1,300 people across four remote North Midlands communities — and this year's event drew around 90 participants to keep the momentum going.
A Community Response to Remote First Aid Challenges
The towns of Carnamah, Coorow, Eneabba and Three Springs together make up the North Midlands area, a stretch of regional WA where volunteer ambulance officers can take up to an hour to travel to a life-threatening emergency. In that context, well-trained bystanders are not just an asset — they can be the deciding factor between life and death.
The St John North Midlands ambulance sub-centre covers all four towns but operates with just 13 volunteers. Such is the strain on resources that assembling a crew can sometimes mean travelling to a neighbouring town to pick up another volunteer before even heading to an incident.
Long-term volunteer ambulance driver and trainer Merle Isbister said the idea to direct golf day proceeds toward free first aid courses was born out of difficult times. "In 2017, the year was looking a bit dry, and people were a bit down, so we came up with a theory that we could use that money to bring people together and provide them with life skills, so we started providing the free first aid courses," she said.
Since that decision, the program has delivered certified training to more than 1,300 community members at no cost — a significant achievement for a small, thinly spread regional population.
This Year's Golf Day: Fun, Fundraising and a Helicopter Drop
Saturday's event at the Three Springs Golf Club saw approximately 90 players take to the course in what has become one of the most anticipated days on the local calendar. The format relied on a 'shotgun' start — a common approach for large field days — where participants begin simultaneously from different holes around the course, keeping play moving efficiently across the full field.
Funds were generated through a combination of player nominations, donations, an auction, and a range of fundraising games. A standout attraction was a nearest-the-pin helicopter drop, in which a helicopter from Corsaire Aviation released numbered golf balls onto a green, with players competing to see whose ball landed closest to the pin.
Three Springs Golf Club president and local farmer David Mutter said the day struck the right balance between community spirit and competitive fun. "That's how we roll here; we make it fun for everyone, and just if someone can leave their life behind for two hours … and as you know the rule, you can do or say anything you like to put the opposition off as long as it's safe," he said.
Mutter confirmed the charity round follows the same rules as any regular club day, with the emphasis firmly on enjoyment rather than formality.
Why First Aid Matters So Much in Remote WA
The fundraising effort reflects a broader reality facing many remote Australian communities: stretched emergency services and vast distances mean that ordinary residents are often the true first responders. When professional help is potentially an hour away, a neighbour or bystander with current first aid knowledge can stabilise a patient, maintain an airway, or perform CPR in those critical early minutes.
By channelling charitable dollars into accredited training, the North Midlands community has built a quiet but meaningful layer of resilience — one golf swing at a time. With tens of thousands of additional dollars added to the total at this year's event alone, the program shows no sign of slowing down.
The annual golf day stands as a reminder of what regional communities can achieve when a common cause brings people together, offering both a social occasion and a genuine investment in the safety of those who live and work far from major centres.
