Gavin gives the gift of life

WOLLONGONG Private Hospital’s chief executive officer David Crowe thought an email from a random address, offering to better equip the hospital with free ventilators, was a scam.
“I got a random email early March from a guy and the email address looked dodgy, he said he was one of serval local businesspeople that wanted to help us with the pandemic and organise ventilators,” Mr Crowe said.
“I thought it was a virus at first, so I forwarded it on to our IT guys, and they emailed back saying it was legitimate. It turns out it was a group of local guys that wanted to help out. They made it clear they didn’t want any money, it was from the goodness of their hearts.”
The group had been trying to source ventilators from a NSW medical equipment supplier, that continued to drive up prices for profit, and that’s where Ocean Grove’s Gavin Berry stepped in.
“I own Biovet Australia, a Victorian medical equipment supplier. I received an email from the charity who were desperately seeking ventilators. I had one in stock and three I’d purchased from Queensland, so I said I was happy to sell them at a significantly reduced price.”
After receiving the email on Thursday, Mr Berry said with the support of his wife, he hopped in his truck early Friday morning, and drove straight to Wollongong Private Hospital.
“I dropped off the first ventilator, then kept driving up to central Queensland. I knew how essential the ventilators were so wanted to make sure that all of the parts were there.
“I wouldn’t normally drive that far, in such a short time frame, but I knew this was urgent. At that stage everyone was anxious and concerned we wouldn’t have enough ICU beds, and Queensland was talking about closing their borders.”
After personally delivering the ventilators and purchasing new batteries free of charge, Mr Berry said it came at a cost to his business but wouldn’t change a thing.
“I was disappointed when I heard the other supplier was trying to profiteer in times when people are doing it so tough. You should try and help others, people are struggling.
“I have elderly parents, Mum’s just getting over breast cancer and Dad hasn’t been well. I just put myself in their shoes, without a ventilator it’s the most critical component of medical equipment ICU can have, it makes the person breathe.
“If they don’t have a ventilator they die, it’s as simple as that. How would you feel if your parents passed away because they didn’t have a ventilator? You couldn’t live with yourself.”
Wollongong public and private Intensive Care director Dr Al Quinn said it was “truly remarkable” what Mr Berry and the anonymous community members have done and thanked them.
“What you are doing is well and truly above and beyond. This virus is about to hit us hard, the people who need critical care almost exclusively have a respiratory deterioration that requires (on average) two weeks on a ventilator,” Dr Quinn said.
“Following which most healthy people will recover. These ventilators are literally going to save lives, I really can’t thank you enough.”