After more than 20 years with the SA Ambulance Service (SAAS), Maxine recently retired as a career paramedic in the Barossa Valley. Starting her journey as a Volunteer Ambulance Officer in Kadina on the Yorke Peninsula, her non-traditional path came full circle—retiring while still believing that paramedicine is "the best job in the world."

Born and raised in suburban Adelaide, Maxine achieved her Year 12 Leaving Honours—a privilege for women of her era—before graduating as one of South Australia’s first Dental Therapists with the S.A. School Dental Service. Placed in Whyalla, her mandatory casualty care qualification unexpectedly introduced her to the St John Air Ambulance Service, sparking a lifelong passion for emergency care. Life soon led her to the Eyre Peninsula, where she married a farmer and grazier, lived 21 kilometres from the nearest town, and raised three children. Though her ambulance ambitions were placed on hold, her interest in pre-hospital care endured, prompting her to complete a TAFE qualification in Sports Injury Management.

Twenty-seven years later, after selling the property and relocating to Kadina to start a new business, Maxine joined the local St John Ambulance brigade to connect with her community. She qualified as an Ambulance Officer, and five years later—during the transition to the SA Ambulance Service (SAAS)—she was encouraged to apply for the Regional Scholarship Degree Program (RSDP). Despite low expectations as a mature-age female applicant, she secured the scholarship, which required a five-year regional commitment. Maxine completed her placement in the Barossa Region, studying full-time at Flinders University while training alongside experienced SAAS paramedics. She graduated with a Bachelor of Health Sciences (Paramedic) in 2012. In 2014, she expanded into academia as a part-time Paramedicine Tutor at Flinders University, a position she held until COVID-19 restrictions altered university operations in 2020. In 2023, Maxine completed specialist mental health training and gained dedicated part-time experience within a Mental Health Team.

Throughout her career, Maxine mentored scores of paramedic students on placement at SAAS Barossa, consistently emphasising the power of trust, empathy, and open communication with patients. In retirement, her focus remains dedicated to palliative care and mastering the "difficult conversations" so frequently navigated by paramedics on the front lines.

Maxine maintains her paramedicine clinical knowledge and ongoing professional development while actively serving her community as a volunteer Country Fire Service (CFS) firefighter. She also mentors local primary school students dealing with home-environment trauma and recently contributed to Flinders University’s PEREI project (Preparing Emergency Responders with Evidence-Based Interventions).

Qualifications: Bachelor of Health Sci. (Paramedic), Grad.Dip Dental Therapy, Flinders University Tutor Course.