Mr Mudge - the well-known face of St John Ambulance in the region as Kalgoorlie-Boulder's station manager - is putting the lessons learned in treating the sick and injured on the tough streets of the Big Apple to pretty good use here in the Goldfields.

Living in the United States was an experience he thoroughly enjoyed, but two years riding the ambulances in New York was enough for the 33-year-old who originally hails from Holt Rock, situated about 60km east of Hyden in WA's Wheatbelt.

As a youngster, he had one major ambition for his eventual entry into the workforce - to be able to help people.

He took the first major step towards fulfilling that ambition during the last two years of a five-year stint in New York from 1994 to 1999.

His arrival there came about after he responded to a newspaper advertisement regarding scholarships at the New York State Department of Health, with a view to becoming an emergency medical technician.

"That was just after my brother had been injured in a car accident and was actually flown by the Royal Flying Doctor Service back to Kalgoorlie," Mr Mudge said.

"There always seemed to be a Kalgoorlie connection there, with the two years working on the ambulances in New York being something of a calling in terms of my career path.

"The job itself was in Queens, but primarily the suburbs of Astoria, Jackson Heights and Elmhurst - the traditionally low socioeconomic areas.