Our people

I served just under 8 years in the Australian Army as an Infantry Rifleman. In my time I specialised in Reconnaissance Surveillance, Combat Signals and as an advanced Combat First Aider on top of Rifleman duties.

I deployed overseas to Iraq, where I provided security and protection and additionally taught first aid in the combat scene with coalition forces to the Iraq Army.

I have experienced many situations where Ive been required to provide emergency first aid, both in and out of work, which is what led me to my decision to study the Bachelor of Paramedicine, which I am currently completing now.

My partner and my two German Shepherds, love adventure and camping as much as I do, so we get out and explore the roads less travelled as often as we can.

Alex (they/them)is a passionate individual dedicated to safety and preparedness in outdoor environments, that brings a wealth of experience and a profound commitment to wilderness first aid.
Their background includes winter work as a ski patroller and summers spent in the outdoor education industry.
Currently, they have set their sights on studying paramedicine, to deepen their understanding of medical care in remote and challenging settings. With a strong desire to contribute to the field of first aid, Alex eagerly seeks opportunities to expand their expertise and make a positive impact on safety practices in outdoor settings.

Maria has worked in operations for the majority of her career, from customer support and office assistance to management. She worked in Saudi Arabia for six years where she learnt about and appreciated their culture. She has a bachelor’s degree in Business Management.Outside work, Maria enjoys reading and exploring places with good food.

After growing up in Melbourne Motti went on to study Accounting and Marketing at Monash University. Before he could set foot in the corporate world he was drawn to education and spent over 8 years working as an educator at Mount Scopus College.

Through his time in a high school setting Motti became passionate about the importance of effective and relevant education. This lead to him partnering up with a paramedic, Ben Krynski, to radically improve the standard of education in the emergency training space.

Together they started Real Response in late 2014 aiming to save lives by preparing organsations for the realities of emergency situations. Initially Real Response was limited to First Aid training, but over time it has become Australia’s only simulation based emergency training provider with Motti at the helm as CEO.

Real Response was recently recognised as one of Australia’s top 30 most innovative companies in the Anthill Smart 100 Index.

Motti is married to Carly and has two beautiful children, Micah and Rafaela.

Sam is Head of Mental Health Training at Real Response. He is a practising psychotherapist and marriage counsellor, MHFA instructor, mental health public speaker, workplace trainer and mindfulness coach with many years of experience in the mental health industry. Sam has lived experience with mental illness, which lends to his undying enthusiasm and passion for the work he does. He is highly energetic, creative and engaging in his approach to training, ensuring that everyone he meets feels comfortable to share, excited to learn and willing to participate.

Matthew is a marketing professional who has worked within the technology and education space for the past 13 years. As a former primary school teacher, Mathew is passionate about education and loves combining it with marketing to provide a better, more engaging customer journey.

Outside of work, Matthew enjoys time with his family, good food, travel and gaming (when he has the chance)

After many years of teaching first aid to budding dive instructors, David continued his training in the UK with a diver medic qualification, which included working in hospital several nights a week and watching a couple of autopsies.  David went on to treat commercial divers on remote oilfield platforms in various locations including Scotland, Myanmar and Egypt. He now teaches first aid and oxygen therapy and believes in an interactive approach to teaching.
David speaks four languages and is currently studying for his commercial helicopter pilot’s license.

Michael is a Paramedic with a passion for prehospital care and education. His introduction to the world of emergency began as a Volunteer Firefighter at 14. With the goal of becoming a firey, he completed a Bachelor of Clinical Practice (Paramedic) before beginning his career as a Paramedic in Australia's capital city. Since then, he has realised that being a Paramedic is what he wants to do. As well as day-to-day clinical practice, he has gone on to also work as Paramedic Clinical Educator and Sessional Academic.

Unable to leave the tertiary sector alone, he completed an extra Honours Degree and Master of Advanced Paramedicine (Critical Care). He enjoys being involved in education of all types as he has seen the results first hand of the difference it makes in every day people's lives. He enjoys working for Real Response as the ethos, culture and underpinning training ideology closely align with his personal ones.

Outside of work he has a young family which brings him joy daily. He is a lifelong mountain biker and die-hard Rugby Union fanatic who and also enjoys camping and 4WD travel. Oh, and somehow still regularly ends up on a firetruck...

I’m a permanent firefighter with Queensland Fire and Emergency Services. Prior to QFES I spent 9 years serving in the Australian Defence Force predominantly as an Infantry soldier. Training and assessment is something I’ve been passionate about and I’m looking forward to engaging with new persons within the community.

Annika is an animator who will be bringing all of our virtual characters to life. Having gone to a Visual Arts specialized high school, Annika further pursued a creative career in animation. With a focus in 3D, Annika studied in SAE Sydney for 2 years and obtained her Bachelors in Animation after developing a solid understanding of the general animation pipeline. After graduating, she entered a brief period of hosting workshops for kids using Block 42 to teach animation, before further refining her realistic animation techniques under Technicolour's training course, receiving a certification in VFX Animation. With these cultivated skills in Maya, Annika hopes to put her skills to use in Real Response's VR programs, to bring these simulated scenarios to life.

Cassidy is initially from Canada where she completed her Bachelors in Business Administration before moving to New Zealand in 2019. She has since worked in a variety of corporate and business advisory roles primarily in the government sector where she had the opportunity to be involved in setting up a new government agency. She decided to relocate to Melbourne with her partner in December 2022 and immediately found it to be her new home. Cassidy is very excited to have recently become a mom to her 5 year old rescue French Bulldog named Mila.

Dale has over 17 years experience creating award winning serious games and simulations for education and training.

Dale is also the Managing Director of Games for Change Asia-Pacific, and a PhD candidate at RMIT examining how values can be accounted for in game design.

As a board member at Simulation Australasia Dale was the Serious Games Convenor for the Australasian Simulation Congress, and managed the Serious Games Showcase and Challenge Australasia.

Dale has worked as an educator, researcher and advisor at a range of universities, and is a guest lecturer on the topic of serious games at UNSW.  He has co-authored a wide range of publications related to the use of serious games, simulations and virtual environments in education.

Dale also co-founded The Lab - a nationwide network of technology clubs for young people with Asperger’s Syndrome which now operates in over 35 locations across Australia.

Mick has been a paramedic for 5 years, working in the UK for 3 years and now back home in Sydney for 2 years. Mick believes being a good paramedic is all about delivering high level emergency care to the community and empowering individuals to make conscious decisions regarding their health.Mick also has a background with Sport & Exercise Science and worked in the Aquatic Industry for many years where he developed his love for training other staff members in important life saving skills. As soon as he has some days off you can find Mick traveling, at the beach, hiking or off on a road trip. Mick is passionate about the education side of his career and is always willing to impart knowledge and skills to anyone who is willing to learn!

Gareth was a Paramedic for 5 years, he worked for 2 years in the tropical north of Townsville, and for 3 years in London. He is passionate about sharing his knowledge and experiences gained during this time to learners, so they have the confidence to perform the basic but important things during an emergency.

He is studying pharmacy full time and enjoys kite surfing, rock climbing and playing basketball in his spare time.

Chloe is a registered Qualified Ambulance Paramedic and worked for a total of 14 years between Melbourne and Geelong. She is passionate about adult education and spent most of those years as a Clinical Instructor, including time as a Trainer and Assessor of High-Performance Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (H.P.C.P.R.), more recently working in the First Responder programs as a Training Consultant and in Organisational Capability as a Learning and Development Coordinator. She also worked on the Ambulance Responder Unit (ARU) as a single officer, as a Paramedic Educator and in Resource Planning.

In addition to this, she works as a casual sessional academic at Australian Catholic University, teaching future Paramedic students. Chloe is studying a Masters of Urban Horticulture so loves a good plant chat if you are ever up for one!

Mathew served in the Australian Navy for 15 years as a medic. Serving both ashore and at sea as a sole medic and as part of a team.
He was deployed to the Persian Gulf and did multiple border protection deployments off the north coast of Australia. As well as humanitarian deployments to Solomon Islands and Nias island following the Tsunami.
After discharging from the navy he have worked in mining as a paramedic and in mines rescue. He also provide training in first aid and mines rescue.
Mathew has been married to his wonderful wife for 21 years and has 2 children aged 19 and 17 as well as a lot of animals on his property.  He loves getting out on his motorbikes or hanging at home with dogs . He will watch or play any sport and is a passionate Liverpool FC, Central Coast Mariners, Wests Tigers and Sydney Swans fan.

Jackie found her passion for emergency care work while living in South Africa, she spent a few years in the UK and rekindled her passion in 2015 when joining St John New Zealand in 2015.
As well as being a frontline ambulance officer she used her expertise to work as an event officer at sports events and as a single crew patient transfer officer. She was also part of a specialised team of medical technicians that conducted covid testing and vaccine recovery observation.
Jackie is fully aware of the value of well-administered first-aid training to prepare for real-life emergencies. She is enthusiastic about technology and enjoys learning new systems and expanding her skills and knowledge.

Dave has been a paramedic for over 20 years, working for the Ambulance Service of NSW, Ambulance Victoria and a number of private practices. He also spent a couple of years with NSW Police Force and the Rural Fire Service. He now loves bringing his stories and experience to life for people he trains, helping them connect the theory with life saving capabilities.

In his spare time, Dave loves being on the water fishing, hiking in mountains or 4WDing. He was born and bred in Canada and still gravitates to the outdoors when he gets the chance. He has been married for 28 years and has two children, a daughter aged 25 and a 21 year old son.

Kate is a Registered Nurse of 40 plus years, having worked in various roles, both clinical and managerial. Kate's experience encompasses Operating Theatre and Infection Control to Medical Nursing and Palliative Care.  Kate left Nursing for a period of time to commence a Management and Training Consultancy with her husband based in the Central Qld Region providing access to Nationally Recognised Training including Frontline Management, Project Management and Training and Assessment.  Of recent times, Kate volunteered as a Child Witness Support Person, accompanying children and their families through the convoluted and complex process of giving evidence in court as a child victim.  Kate enjoys spending time with her daughter and son, two sons-in-law and two grandsons.  Her interests include reef fishing, competitive shooting and travel with various destinations being ticked off her bucket list.

Laura began working as a paramedic in 2011 with Ambulance Tasmania, giving her over 10 years of pre-hospital emergency experience. In 2015 she took the opportunity to move to the UK to work for London Ambulance Service, and was able to specialise in trauma care working on the Tactical Response Unit (a branch of the ambulance service that trains with counter terrorism and armed police to respond in the ‘warm zone’ of marauding terrorist attacks) as well as working with London’s Air Ambulance to provide advanced care to the most seriously injured trauma patients in London.After taking a year off to travel around the UK and Europe with her husband in their self converted campervan, the Womble, Laura returned to Australia and completed Certificate IV in Outdoor Leadership and Certificate IV in Training and Assessment. In her spare time she likes to hike, climb or paddle her way around the great outdoors.

Having recently completed his bachelors degree in Game and Graphics programming at RMIT,  Ryan is looking to commence his career in game development and bringing his unique perspective and earnest work ethic to the team. Following his previous ventures with mixed reality that he acquired during his course, he is look forward to pushing the limit of his abilities here at Real Response and creating exciting new experiences.

Tony completed a 20-year tour with Australian Army Aviation as aircrew before turning to paramedicine with Queensland Ambulance Service. 23 years as a paramedic has seen Tony develop a large range of skills and competencies with a particular interest in training and mentorship. He has extensive remote and rural service, often responding as a single officer in the vast Queensland outback.
He has a strong belief that first aid in the community is critical to providing resilience and capability that is often the best start to saving lives and ensuring the best outcomes for those in need. Vintage VW’s and Vespa’s, photography, motorcycling, and writing occupy most of his free time.

George grew up in Sydney and enlisted in the US Army in 2006. After serving as a medic and paratrooper in an Airborne Regiment, he retrained as a flight medic. Assigned to a General Support Aviation Battalion, George deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan conducting combat medical evacuations.

After leaving the US Army and returning to Australia in 2013, George earned his Bachelor of Nursing and worked for Sydney Local Health District as a Registered Nurse.

Outside of work, you can find him in his garden, gaming, or hiking in the bush.

Katie has been a Paramedic since 2017. After completing a Bachelor of Paramedicine at the University of Tasmania, she started her career working for South Central Ambulance Service in England. She then returned to Australia, and has been working with New South Wales Ambulance Service since 2020.

Alongside caring for the community as a paramedic, Katie has been passing on her expertise with Real Response as a First Aid Instructor since 2019.

She loves working with Real Response as she gets to work with an amazing team who values delivering exceptional first aid courses with a strong focus on simulation based training.

Katie is passionate about education, health and fitness, and often enjoys camping and hiking where she can be close to nature.

Camila is a dedicated paramedic who graduated from the University in 2020 and worked in one of the busiest cities in Colombia (Medellin). Passionate about the welfare of others and providing high-quality care. Also, her love for transmitting the knowledge acquired during her job has led her to the classroom where she wants to teach what she has learned applied to real situations. Camila believes that good teaching can help people in their different environments save a life.

Lover of animals, music, and books.

Baruch comes from a military and ambulance background, currently studying in university and volunteering as a medical first responder.Since 2014 He’s been an ambulance medic overseas, gaining experience in dynamic environments. Later, he enlisted and served in the military as a Combat Medic (AEMT), progressing to Chief Medic of his unit. During his service, he has gained unique combat and medical experience.
He is passionate about simulation-based training, which is why he loves training with Real Response.

Matthew’s exposure to first aid began back in 2012. At a young age, the experience was enlightening and made him realise how practical and useful it is to do a first aid course. This kindled his passion and inspired him to pursue a career in pre-hospital care. He completed the Diploma and Bachelor of Paramedicine soon after and started working as an Ambulance Attendant and Clinical Instructor. From his experience through university and work, Matthew has seen first-hand the impact that a well-trained person can make on someone in need of medical assistance.

Matthew is enthusiastic to share his knowledge and experience in first aid through Real Response in a hope that people will also share the same revelatory experience that Matthew had when he first completed the course.

Massimo started his career in the paramedicine world within the teaching space at Monash University, and is currently working with Ambulance Victoria as a Paramedic. Throughout his time within the university space he gained exposure within the virtual reality and high fidelity scenarios, exploring the creation of the highest real life simulation in the prehospital setting. In conjunction with this he's been involved within the teaching space of the EMR program with FRV and the undergraduate degree of Paramedicine. In doing this he's gained a passion for teaching and passing on knowledge and clinical skills practice both in the emergency space and general first aid sector. In addition to working as a paramedic, he loves camping, fishing and anything outdoors. He and his partner enjoy travelling around Australia in our 4wd and are hoping to one day do the big lap of Aus.

Justin has transitioned into training having been a police officer for over 21 years serving in both the United Kingdom and Australia.

During his emergency service career, Justin was often first at an incident scene providing first aid and trauma care to members of the public and colleagues. Also working alongside paramedics, firefighters, SES and medical professionals, Justin has been involved in significant physical and mental trauma including road traffic collisions, assaults, homicides, shootings, stabbings, non-suspicious deaths (including overdoses and suicides), child abuse, sex offences and sex offender management.

Justin has been a training coordinator for officer safety and tactics and a qualified child interviewer. Justin also spent several years as a forensic liaison officer during post-mortem examinations, working with pathologists to identify causes of death. Justin also spent time as a family liaison officer, working with families impacted by homicide investigations. Justin considers his listening skills, empathy and compassion as some of his superpowers.

Justin is qualified with several advanced diplomas in work health & safety, leadership & management and public safety as well as diplomas in security & risk management and business. He is currently studying part-time for a diploma in emergency care to enhance his knowledge and skills further.

Justin relocated to Gladstone with his family and joins Real Response with a passion and energy to share his knowledge and experiences gained to better equip learners with confidence not just around first aid, but also incident scenes, people and environmental appreciation and management.

Justin enjoys watching TV, Formula 1, NRL, cricket, fitness, camping (caravanning ), DIY, gardening, fishing (even more so when he catches something) and wine.

I have worked as an Advanced medic in the private sector for the past 4 years and as a First Aid Trainer for almost 2 years as I study my Bachelor of Nursing at Australian Catholic University. I started my studies into emergency medicine with the Certificate IV in Health care quickly moving onto the Diploma of Paramedical Science after completion. I moved down from rural NSW to Melbourne over 4 years ago to expand placement and job opportunities.
I aim to be apart of the the more practical simulated based training Real Response provides and being apart of the positive confidence building within the students I teach as a result

Dr John Ellingham is a VMO (Visiting Medical Officer) medical specialist Anaesthetist. He works in private and public practice, is Canberra based, and was one of the founders of the first private practice group in the ACT (Australian Capital Territory).  John is a Monash University medical graduate and has trained and worked in Anaesthesia and Critical Care in Australia (including Royal Prince Alfred, Royal North Shore, and Westmead Children’s Hospitals).  Overseas he has worked in the United States (as a staff specialist at Duke University) and (as a Cardiothoracic Fellow) in South Korea.

Major subspecialty interests are preoperative assessment using information systems, medical simulation (including the use of Augmented and Virtual Reality environments, retrieval medicine and anaesthesia for cardiothoracic surgery.  Supporting these interests John has post graduate qualifications in Clinical Ultrasound and Information Technology.

Over a decade John completed more than 600 missions for the Snowy Hydro SouthCare Medical Retrieval Helicopter as a flight doctor.  He is a Navy Reserve Officer, has participated in exercises at sea, and is a military veteran having completed several operational deployments to the Middle East.

He has been a training supervisor and regional representative for ANZCA (The Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists) with a long-term interest in education. Day to day he is involved in teaching for the ANU (Australian National University) and has been an examiner for the ANU Medical School.

John’s focus is squarely on what clinicians do every day. In this role John has been an invited and keynote speaker at many conferences. As a previous ACT Health Directorate advisor to the coroner, he has a unique and always educational perspective on things medical.

James is a Registered Nurse, he is passionate about adult education and sharing his knowledge. Prior to becoming a trainer, James was a Senior Emergency Nurse, Clinical Development Nurse (for 8 years) and an Advanced Adult Life Support Instructor. James looked after new and veteran nurses in the clinical field for many years. James also worked in all areas of emergency such as resuscitation, triage, medical emergency response team (Met & Rapid Assessment Team).James is a big believer in reflection, self growth and takes the approach of engaging the participants with personal experience to help with a greater understanding on a subject if they are finding it hard to understand the concepts of the topic. James also like to use case studies and talk through it with them. This can help bring in any personal experiences the participants have had to the forefront. In this affording the participants with agency as they can personally relate to the topic.Outside of work James as has a passion for the outdoors, camping, singing and is a pet father to his (blue healer X) dog (Luca).

Aurora is currently part of the Real Response Operations team in Gladstone, Qld.

Since 2006 Ben has been immersed in the emergency pre-hospital field. Beginning as a medic with the Israel Ambulance Service, Ben quickly became a leader, educating others. As an Instructor, Ben ensured new medics were capable of working in an emergency ambulance under very high-pressure situations in a dynamic part of the world.

In a progression to ensure competency of qualifications in Australia, Ben transferred his skills and knowledge into an Australian Paramedics degree qualification and is currently an operational paramedic in Sydney.

As a member of the Simulation Australasia Human Dimensions Committee, Ben is at the forefront of evolving technologies and methodologies in simulation.

Co-Founding Real Response Ben strives for excellence by pushing the boundaries of what is possible and keeping to the companies mission of ‘preparing people for the realities of emergency situations’.

Abbey began her journey with the Australian Army in early 2013 as a Medical Technician, serving across various domestic and international locations. In addition to her fieldwork, she took on training roles as an instructor in first aid, combat first aid and led adventure training in sea kayaking in SEQLD. Abbey also gained valuable experience working alongside Paramedics, including Intensive Care Paramedics, and across different hospitals in Australia.

In 2020, Abbey transitioned from the Regular Army to the Reserves and returned to Adelaide. There, she has continued to contribute to her reserve unit, supporting training activities and various assignments.

Since joining Real Response in Adelaide, Abbey has been enthusiastic about medical training and instruction. Her role has also offered opportunities for regular domestic and international travel. In 2024, Abbey stepped into the position of Head of Dynamic Training Services, following her significant contributions in this area.

Outside of work, Abbey enjoys spending time with her German Shepherd, Bear, as well as with family and friends. She loves going on adventures, camping, going to the beach, staying fit, and playing sports.

Amy graduated from University with a bachelor of business management and event management. She has been a volunteer with the CFA (Country Fire Authority) for nearly 15 years. As a firefighter she's seen first hand the impact everyday people can make in an emergency when they have the right training, which was what drew her to Real Response and their hands on training philosophy. She is currently working as a member of the operations team based in Geelong.

Outside of work Amy enjoys getting outdoors and exploring, especially visiting waterfalls and the beach.