Ann and John McLean presented their 11,000-signature petition, to establish an ambulance station in Iluka, to Clarence MP Chris Gulaptis on July 19. Ms McLean said: “Chris is very supportive. “He indicated that [lodging] a petition now might just open [the government’s] eyes to the fact that more and more people are moving here,” she said. “With an ageing population, too, it could be beneficial to look at it now rather than waiting till the town grows.” Forty-three per cent of Iluka’s population of 1,718 people (with a potential to grow subsequent to impending land releases) are aged 65 and over, according to the just released census data. Ms McLean sought, paid for and received information, through the NSW Government Information Public Access Act 2009 (GIPA Act) regarding the number of Ambulance NSW call-outs to Iluka and the nearby Woombah during the 2015/16 and 2016/17 financial years. There were 257 Priority 1 (potentially life threatening) and 322 Priority 2 call outs to Iluka. There were 66 Priority 1 (potentially life threatening) and 71 Priority 2 call outs to Woombah. There were eight R3 incidents, which are “requests by a medical practitioner for transport within a specific timeframe”, across both Woombah and Iluka. Of the Priority 1 call outs, 12 were assessed as being “the most serious in this category”. Overall, Ambulance NSW attended 724 incidents over the two-year period. Chris Gulaptis told the Independent that he supported the establishment of an ambulance station to service the Iluka/Woombah area. “Iluka is an isolated coastal community with a high proportion of elderly people,” he said. “In addition, it has a high influx of holiday makers who are swimming and boating; and this increases the risk of accidents and the need for emergency assistance.” The Parliament of NSW website states: “A copy of every petition received is forwarded to the Minister responsible for the subject contained in the petition. “…Petitions of more than 10,000 signatures will be scheduled for discussion in the House.”