Giving back to the community was part of life for Sutherland Shire father and son Ben and Paul Tonge.
Paul Tonge was recently awarded with an Ambulance Services Medal in the Australia Day honours.
It follows the Public Service Medal his father Ben received in 1992 for his work with NSW Police and the Army reserves.
Together they have more than 70 years of public service between them.
Paul joined the ambulance service in 1986 and worked as a ambulance officer, Illawarra zone manager and now to his current role as Manager of Sustainable Access.
He said a lot had change since he first joined the service.
‘’When I started we had a little metal box with oxygen inside it and a first aid kit; that was it,’’ he said.
‘’Now we can perform very advanced procedures.’’
He said almost every day was different working with NSW Ambulance.
He said a highlight of his career was when he was chosen to follow Pope John Paul II during his visit to Sydney in 1996.
He even had a photo taken with the Pope to mark the occasion. The photo hangs proudly in his parents kitchen in Miranda.
Another highlight was his time as the Illawarra zone manager where he was in charge of the regions stations and staff.
He said his Ambulance Services Medal was due to the teams he worked with over the years.
‘’I’m very proud and humbled,’’ he said.
‘’It’s such a rigorous process so it does mean a lot.’’
His father Ben started as a public servant with NSW Police in 1951.
He worked his way up through the ranks to Director of Administration before he retired in 1994.
He also served in the senior ranks of the Army reserve.
He said he was delighted to receive his medal.
‘’Back then there wasn’t much recognition for public servants so when I received it I was quite stoked,’’ he said.
There is a friendly rivalry between the pair with Ben receiving his medal at 52; piping his son by just a few years.
The tradition is set to continue with one of Paul’s daughter following in his and his wife’s footsteps in becoming a nurse.
