A ‘celebration’ to honour NSW paramedic and nurse Steven Tougher was held in Wollongong this morning.
Mr Tougher, 29, was stabbed and killed while on the job at Campbelltown on April 14.
His family wanted a celebration of the life of Steven.
“Steven had an uncanny ability to connect with people, to truly understand their needs, and to provide care with genuine warmth and empathy,” the Tougher family said, in a statement shortly after his death.
More than 200 NSW Ambulance crews volunteered their time today to ensure colleagues, friends, and family could attend the ceremony.
Mr Tougher was expecting his second child in the coming weeks and had married his “best friend” Madison Parker less than two months ago.
NSW Ambulance Commissioner Dr Dominic Morgan led the service.
“He’d been with us for a relatively short period of time, had recently found out he was being posted back to south-west Sydney. I’m told he was just so pleased he was going to be able to stay here with his family, bring up his children and look forward to the area he lived in and loved more than anything,” Commissioner Morgan said.
Mr Tougher’s father, Jeff, is leading a campaign for stronger penalties and mandatory sentence for people kill or assault people in the line of duty.
NSW Premier Chris Minns, who attended and spoke at today’s ceremony, has instructed the attorney-general and his department and cabinet to look at potential changes to the law.
“And lastly please advocate for them to be named ‘Steven’s Law’. We cannot let the anguish that we feel, be wasted as frivolously as was my son,” Jeff Tougher said.
Jeff Tougher said Steven has had dreamt of being a paramedics since he was five, he was in the role for about a year.
A community driven ‘go fund me’ has raised around $500,000 for the young family.
There are currently over 80,000 signatures in support of ‘Steven’s Law’ on the change.org website.
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