Chief Executive of the North East Ambulance Service in the UK, Lawrence Caple, will give the main address at this year's morning graduation ceremony for Charles Sturt University's Albury-Wodonga campus.

As Britain's longest serving Ambulance chief, and past President of both the Association of Chief Ambulance Officers and the Ambulance Service Institute, Mr Caple as been closely involved in developing policy, training, communications and resources for UK's ambulance services.

Under Mr Caple's leadership, the North East Ambulance Service was the first UK service to receive a national training award and was commended by the national audit office for its income generation activities.

Since 1992, the Northumbria-based service has had either the fastest or second fastest emergency response rate among rural services. Mr Caple has been recognised for his services to rural health when he was appointed an Officer Brother of the Venerable Order of St John and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Health Studies.

Mr Caple has also been instrumental in CSU's entry into ambulance officer education in the UK. Over 60 UK ambulance officers are currently undertaking CSU diploma, degree and masters courses in pre-hospital care and health services management through the North East Ambulance Service. Thirty two officers were in the first CSU graduation ceremony in the UK in September last year.

The University is also the major provider in training courses for ambulance officers in NSW and Tasmania, which complements the extensive range of professional allied health courses offered at the Albury-Wodonga Campus, including physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech pathology and gerontology.

Mr Caple will speak during the morning Graduation ceremony on Friday 7 May, which commences at 10.30 am in the Albury Convention and Performing Arts Centre in Swift St, Albury.