The NSW Government has allocated $1115 each to Parkes Dragon Boat Club, Parkes Bowling and Sports Club, Bogan Gate Golf Club, Trundle Rugby League Football Club, Parkes and District Amateur Soccer Association and Peak Hill Bowling Club.

Parliamentary Secretary for Western NSW Rick Colless said the clubs had been successful in securing grant funding towards the purchase of an Automated External Defibrillator (AED), as part of the Local Sports Defibrillator Program.

“Sport is a vital part of the Orange electorate’s social fabric and we need to make sport as safe as possible,” he said.

“Having access to a defibrillator in the first eight minutes after a cardiac arrest is vital to give people the best chances of survival so I recommend all the clubs in our area to apply to this grant program.”

Minister for Sport, Stuart Ayres said 322 sports clubs across the state had been awarded a grant to purchase a defibrillator in the current round of funding.

“Clubs receive 50 per cent towards the funding and maintenance of a defibrillator,” he said. “Since 2017, the NSW government has provided $985,000 to assist with the purchase of 780 defibrillators for facilities.”

The program will remain open for applications until May 2019. For more information on the Local Sports Defibrillator Program, visit: https://sport.nsw.gov.au/clubs/grants/defibrillator