Hosted by Station Officer of Tea Gardens, Jim Arneman, the unofficial morning tea attracted the presence of Operations Manager for the Hunter sector, Steve McPherson and Deputy Chairman of the Ambulance Service Board from Sydney, Jon Issacs.

Each community group involved was presented with a Certificate of Appreciation and was also mentioned on a plaque that is attached to a framed picture containing the original blueprints of the station.

"We are going to hang the document up in the station where everyone can see it," said Mr Arneman.

Ambulance Officer, Chris Webb, explained that the station has just recently finished refurbishing, including new floor coverings in the office and casualty treatment room.

"This was made possible by the generous donations from various community groups in the area," he said.

The generosity of these groups doesn't end there, as they have also raised funds for other pieces of much needed equipment to the station over the years.

"The purpose of the meeting was to thank the various groups, have a chinwag and a morning tea, as well as create an opportunity for them to look through the station," said Mr Arneman.

Mr Arneman explained that whilst he had previously lived in the old part (residence) of the station, they had nowhere to house visiting staff.

"We now have facilities for visiting staff which becomes a home away from home when you are on call in a country station," he said.

"Due to clinical training officers being brought out into the field in rural areas particularly, we now have a training room out the back of our local station," he added.

"This is a good facility in what I think is one of the best stations around these parts."

Deputy Chairman of the Ambulance Service Board from Sydney, Jon Issacs, said that in recent years, NSW Ambulance Service have invested very heavily in the clinical training of their staff.