Over the past year, MDA NSW has been delighted to be able to boost MDA Israel’s fleet by three ambulances and two medicyles. One ambulance and a medicycle have been donated by a most generous and very unassuming benefactor, Dr Cyril Aarons.
Cyril was born in 1928 in London. He served in the British army a major and served in Israel, Egypt and the Suez Canal, Cyprus and the Seychelles. He studied medicine in Leeds and graduated as a doctor in 1951. In 1964, Cyril immigrated to Australia with his parents and set up a medical practice in Carlton where he worked for many years.
Cyril has always shown a firm commitment to the Jewish community and to Israel, and enjoyed learning Hebrew at Ulpan. His dedication to medicine has led him to a lifetime interest in Magen David Adom and its activities, often participating in meetings in Sydney.
MDA Israel’s Ido Golan-Gutin, with MDA NSW President Roland Nagel and Margaret Nagel
at the Aarons ambulance’s dedication ceremony
Last year, Cyril decided to donate a standard ambulance to MDA in honour of his late parents, Yechiel Moshe and Feiga Aarons. The ambulance is stationed at the W H Bloomberg MDA Station in Jerusalem – an extremely busy station. It has been involved on 705 calls from the beginning of July.
Cyril’s beneficence has now also extended to a Medicyle, a First Responder scooter, equipped with advanced medical equipment, which can navigate easily on heavily congested roads to reach emergencies, thereby significantly decreasing response times.
In a letter of thanks to Cyril acknowledging his gift of the ambulance, Yoni Yagadovsky, MDA Israel’s Director of Fundraising, said, “We are most grateful to you for your support of our mutually sacred cause – namely the saving of lives in Israel. Your meaningful gift is very much appreciated.”