Defibrillator now located at cafe

Handing over an automated defibrillator, or AED, to the Five Rivers Cafe are (from left) St John Northern Southland area committee chairman George Stewart, St John Lumsden station manager Helen Bottcher, cafe manager Harry Sheehy, The Power Company chairman Doug Fraser and PowerNet depot supervisor Maurice Graham.

The donation is part of a programme by PowerNet and St John to improve public safety and education in the region. Four AEDs are given each year to communities within the network managed by PowerNet.

The cafe, 14km north of Lumsden, sits at the junction of State Highway 6 and SH94 on the busy tourist route to Fiordland.

When available within minutes of a cardiac arrest, an AED can greatly improve a person's chance of survival.