The little town of Tintinara sits on the flat plain of the Murray Mallee, a little over two hours’ drive down the Dukes Highway from Adelaide.

Home to fewer than 300 people, day-to-day life in the farming hamlet is generally pretty quiet – until it’s not.

That’s when Tess Judd – SA Ambulance Service’s Regional Team Leader for the Coorong – and her team of volunteers swing into action.

Whether it’s a serious car accident or simply attending to someone who might have taken a fall at home, the paramedic says every job she and her team attends is a privilege, a chance to put their training and skills into action to provide care and comfort.

"It's a very rewarding job, particularly doing it in your hometown," Tess, who grew up in Tintinara, says.

"When people call you at their time of need it's pretty remarkable to have had the training to respond and assist that patient.

"And when you live in the same community, you can then see that patient down the street, days or weeks later, and you get to see the impact you've had. It's a very rewarding job in that way."

A 2025 Council of Ambulance Authorities Women in Ambulance award winner, Tess says that not all of the work of a paramedic is life and death.

"It might be helping an elderly person that's had a fall, or someone who’s experiencing some sort of medical condition or injury," she says.

"Sometimes it’s just about being there, wearing that green uniform.

"You walk into that house, and you can see just see that you’re bringing a sense of calm, and I think people just appreciate you being able to attend.

"But when we do go to a traumatic job, or what we would call a 'big job', then I feel privileged to have had the training to be able to help."

Tess’s journey as a paramedic began back in 2008 when she signed on as a Volunteer Ambulance Officer in her hometown.

The bug bit hard, and she soon found herself studying a Bachelor of Health Science – Paramedic at Flinders University.

Upon graduation Tess completed her internship with SA Ambulance Service in the Adelaide metro region, where she stayed working on emergency ambulances for around nine years before doing a two-year stint in the Barossa.

When the position of Regional Team Leader came up in her old hometown she jumped at the chance.

"I guess I've kind of gone full circle," Tess says.

And while she relishes every moment, she admits running a team of volunteers in a small community is not without its challenges.

Growing farms and shrinking rural populations, and a rising cost of living which sees both parents working full time, have made volunteering less possible.

And add the fact that working as a volunteer ambulance officer is – in Tess’s words – "not for everyone".

"It’s not making sandwiches at the footy club," she laughs.

"But yes, country communities are struggling to find volunteers these days – and then we have to find enough volunteers to make sure that there's a sustainable ambulance service 24 hours a day.

"I'm fortunate though, because the volunteers we have are just amazing - true country-minded, community-minded people that want to give back and provide an ambulance service to their community.

"I feel very lucky to be able to come back and work with such great people."

So what’s the best job you can be called to as a paramedic?

"That’s a tough one – most people ask what the worst thing we have to do is," Tess says.

"I guess the most joyful job that you probably could ever go to is delivering a baby. Yeah, that’s pretty cool."

For Tess, though, every job has its own rewards, and all add up to a job she says she loves completely. Tess also looks after the nearby volunteer teams at Coomandook, Coonalpyn, Meningie and Salt Creek.

"For me it’s been an amazing career," she says.

And it’s a career she is happy to recommend to others, whether that be a professional paramedic or one of the 1200 volunteers who work across the state in one of more than 70 teams.

"There are so many opportunities," she says.

"Whether you’re looking for a career or looking to contribute through volunteering, the people you meet, the relationships you develop and the skills you learn are just amazing."

To find out more about becoming a volunteer with the SA Ambulance service click here.