NSW Ambulance paramedic Steve Marks retires after 37 years saving lives, passes baton to his daughters

To mark the special occasion, he wasn't working alone.

The signoff had been made and he was going to be joined by his two daughters, Cassie Neale and Peta Lehoczky, both also paramedics who have dedicated their lives to following in their father's footsteps.

"The day Cass was born, I think it was probably fate. I was actually reading my paperwork for the entry exam for the ambulance service," Steve said with a laugh.

In 1986, 37 years ago, Steve heard the NSW ambulance service was looking to recruit, and since he wasn't getting satisfaction from his job at the time, he applied to become a paramedic, which has led him to work in Bathurst, Cowra, Queanbeyan, and Eden.

As children, Peta remembers hopping into "Red", their Mitsubishi Starwagon, which was packed like an ambulance with two first aid kits, woolen blankets under the seats, and a tool box; since her father had gone from a motor mechanic saving cars to saving lives.

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"If there was a car accident, our whole family would pull over and we all had jobs to do," said Peta, whose role was to get the blankets, while her parents grabbed the first aid kids, and the younger kids stayed in the car and entertained each other.

"I remember when I was probably eight, [he told] me he was going to become a paramedic and leave his current job, and I just had no idea what that meant, all it meant was that he was shaving off his beard and he had to go away," Peta said.

"When I saw him march out in uniform [at graduation], I was so proud of him, and ever since then he has been really dedicated to the job.

"He's always enjoyed the job, which is pretty special to go into a career that you love for life," she said with a bright beaming smile on her face.

While Steve's daughters both became paramedics, his sons also chose careers reflecting the same serving the community ethos.

Daniel Marks worked as a military police officer, while Nathan Marks is a soon-to-be appointed detective senior constable for the NSW Police in Bega.

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"It's a big moment, Dad's been a hero of mine since I was a kid, he's one of the most supportive men, kindest men, I've ever met in my life," Nathan said.

"We all aspire to be like him. I think he's got thousands of patients that pray for him and are thankful for him. There's not much more I can say about a human like that.

"I think we all went to helping people and emergency services because of Dad."

While the paramedic uniform and boots were being hung up, Steve said his current car was still stocked with first aid kits just in case his services were required.

But for now, he was looking forward to spending time with his wife of 46 years, his family, and a hint of fishing and golf thrown into the mix.

"It's sort of bred into you, you just can't not stop," Steve said.

"The job has been good to me, and I feel like I've done a bit through those years.

"Just being there, just a calm [voice], a bit of reassurance, you know, just a hand on a shoulder or hold hands, it can be very rewarding."

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