The Gap

With special guest:

• Benjamin Gilmour
  … in conversation with Bill Kable

Paramedics. These are the people who answer the call when someone, anyone, is in a very serious situation. Paramedics have to be extra resilient, resourceful, caring and if they are going to be able to stay in the job they need to get on with their work partner in regularly stressful situations. And if that means sharing a joke that could be black humour it is all part of the job.

Our guest today is Benjamin Gilmour who was attracted to the life of a paramedic as a child. After obtaining his formal qualifications with a Bachelor of Paramedicine and a Master’s Degree in Public Health he has now clocked up over twenty years serving the community in Sydney’s Eastern suburbs and several country locations.

Over that twenty years Benjamin has witnessed a lot of the often unseen life of a city. Benjamin opens up for us a world of people on the edge, sometimes literally, at the infamous suicide spot, The Gap, at Watson’s Bay in Sydney. Surprisingly despite the effort made in recent years to reduce the number of deaths at this scenic location there are still over fifty people a year who choose to end their life there. Perhaps hundreds of others go there with the intention to end it all but for some reason are able to turn back. Benjamin has often been the first responder in these situations and it is up to him to counsel desperate people who sometimes do not want to be counselled or saved.

Among all the sad stories Benjamin finds for us some of the lighter stories involving eccentric people who interact with the ambulance service. And Benjamin has often found himself sharing the last moments on earth of his patients. We ask if they have any important messages. What about the people brought back from the dead? Or in one case a man who jumped over The Gap and half way down thought he had made the wrong decision and lived to tell Benjamin about it.

As a background to the main events told in this book The Gap we hear about the personal issues both Benjamin and his work partner were enduring over that summer ten years ago. We sometimes forget that these stoic characters have a life of their own that they put aside while attending to our urgent needs.

Talking with Benjamin is like going out on a call. You never know where it is going to end. It could be dramatic or mundane; it could be life-saving or a minute too late. Don’t miss this fascinating insight from someone on the front line.

Benjamin Gilmour

Benjamin Gilmour is a writer and filmmaker, director of the films ‘Jirga’ (2019), ‘Paramedico’ (2012) and ‘Son of a Lion’ (2008). He is the author of the books ‘Warrior Poets’ (Pier 9) and ‘Paramedico – Around the World by Ambulance’ (HarperCollins), a tie-in with his recent film of the same name. He has also published books for children, including ‘The Travel Bug’ (Penguin). His latest book is ‘The Gap’ (Viking). He lives in Northern NSW, Australia.

Write to Benjamin at: contact@benjamingilmour.com

Song selection by our guest: Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right by Bob Dylan

If you are (or someone you know is) in crisis, please contact one of the following services:

 Lifeline 13 11 14 www.lifeline.org.au/gethelp (available 24/7)

 Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467 www.suicidecallbackservice.org.au (available 24/7)

 MensLine 1300 78 99 78 www.mensline.org.au (available 24/7)

 beyondblue 1300 22 4636 www.beyondblue.org.au

 Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800 www.kidshelp.com.au (available 24/7)

Note: This program is an encore presentation of the one aired on 26 March 2020.

Podcast (mp3)