Community
26 February, 2025
Paramedic couple loving their new life in Julia Creek
The young couple with two-year-old twins accepted their roles in Julia Creek, despite never visiting the region.
A remote bush posting can be a test of a couple’s relationship, but Billy Wootton and Kelsea Hogan believe it will only strengthen their fledgling family.
Along with their two-year-old twins Goldie and Delilah, Billy and Kelsea packed up their house in Brisbane in and drove the 1600km to Julia Creek to start their new roles as the local paramedics.
Because of their twins, it took them three days to get there.
Neither had visited the town or the region before taking the jobs, which they say will allow them to see more of each other, despite the fact they’ll work opposite shifts.
“We always wanted to go rural and then randomly Billy started speaking to this guy at work that had worked out here,” Kelsea said.
“He just said really good things about Julia Creek, in fact everyone had good things to say about it.”
Despite getting a positive mark from within the Queensland Ambulance Service as a great posting, Julia Creek had been without a permanent paramedic team for some time, with relieving crews brought in to cover the load.
Billy and Kelsea believe they will be here for a while yet, having settled into the community.
“We were basically working full-time in Brisbane on opposite shifts so we’d never see each other,” Kelsea said.
“Even though we are not working together here, we see a lot more of each other because the station is just around the corner from home and the workload is pretty low.
“You’re at home every morning, every night, every afternoon.
“Sometimes I’ll just bring the girls to the station and we’ll have lunch here, so we’re seeing a lot more of each other.”
The couple, who are engaged but have yet to set a wedding date, said the work had been much different in Julia Creek than the bustling metropolitan of Brisbane.
“Unfortunately when you do get a call it can be quite serious,” said Billy, who is the officer-in-charge at Julia Creek’s ambulance station.
“If we do get a call that’s not in town, we get in a driver from the firies and they are behind the wheel while one of us is treating the patient.
“So that’s quite different but it seems to be a good system.”
Kelsea said her family had been given a great reception by the Julia Creek community.
“We’ve been invited to so many morning teas! Everyone has just been lovely,” she said.
“The girls have started daycare, so we’ve got more of a routine and we go to the pool all of the time.”