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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1)
2018-11-14 Daily Xml
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Motions

St John Ambulance Anniversary

The Hon. S.G. WADE (Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (16:18): I move:

That this council—

1. Recognises the 135th anniversary of the establishment in Australia of St John Ambulance;

2. Acknowledges the significant contribution that St John Ambulance has made and continues to make in support of the health and safety of every South Australian through the delivery of lifesaving first-aid services;

3. Acknowledges the invaluable contribution of St John Ambulance’s highly skilled and qualified volunteers who dedicate their time to delivering emergency first aid and community-care services;

4. Acknowledges the important role St John Ambulance plays in strengthening emergency preparedness, response and recovery across the state, including through its ongoing support of the State Emergency Management Plan; and

5. Acknowledges the crucial first-aid training St John Ambulance delivers, including through its First Aid in Schools program.

Thank you, Mr President. I acknowledge that, in moving this motion, you are a longstanding and illustrious member of the St John Ambulance community. The year 2018 marks the 135th anniversary of the establishment of St John Ambulance in Australia. Since its inception, St John Ambulance has played an integral role in the provision of health, safety and lifesaving first-aid services in South Australia. St John is a strong, well-known and trusted not-for-profit organisation which is highly visible in our communities as a first-aid provider, educator and responder and a leader in community building and social inclusion.

St John has a strong presence throughout metropolitan and regional South Australia. South Australians rely heavily on St John to provide first-aid services at events. St John depends on the dedication of over 1,000 volunteers in South Australia, an invaluable asset in the South Australian community. Since 1883, St John in Australia has emphasised community service through lifesaving health support services and the teaching of first aid to the general public. St John began teaching first aid in 1885. Initially, training was provided to police officers and railway workers as they operated in the fields at greatest risk of encountering injuries at that time.

St John first-aid vehicles have significantly changed over the course of time. Before the advent of the motor vehicle, these were horse-drawn carriages and, in the earliest days of St John in Australia, enclosed stretchers on wheels known as litters. St John volunteers would trundle injured people long distances so they could receive treatment at a hospital. This embodies the well-established dedication of St John Ambulance in providing health and safety service support to South Australians.

St John Ambulance carries on those traditions in accord with the longstanding values of the organisation, the most important of which is service to humanity. St John embodies a broad range of organisational functions and each function exists to serve the community. The most visible function of St John Ambulance is providing health and safety support in the community, including providing first aid during emergency situations. For example, during the Semaphore ANZAC Day service this year, St John Ambulance volunteers were called on to provide emergency assistance when a man collapsed and suffered a cardiac arrest. Without hesitation, St John volunteers administered lifesaving first aid and revived the man at the scene.

In 2017-18, St John SA attended more than 2,300 events, treated more than 18,000 patients and contributed nearly 80,000 hours to the service of first-aid events. This epitomises the fantastic work St John Ambulance does in delivering first-aid services. South Australians also call on the assistance of St John Ambulance during times of crisis, such as bushfires, storms and floods. St John Ambulance works with other emergency response agencies to ensure the protection of the South Australian community.

However, St John Ambulance offers more than a response function; it undertakes significant planning and preparation for emergency situations. As a vital support agency to SA Health and the South Australian Ambulance Service, under the South Australian government's state emergency plan, St John Ambulance aligns its operational functions to, and I quote, 'prevention, preparation, response and recovery' functions of the management plan.

The assistance from St John Ambulance during emergency situations is critical in ensuring the safety of the South Australian community. Fundamental to St John operations are its first-aid training programs. Many individuals and businesses require first-aid training so that if there is an emergency, a person trained in first aid can be of assistance. The organisation invests a considerable amount of time into its first-aid training programs so that first-aiders have access to advanced technology and best practice first-aid training.

St John has also implemented the First Aid in Schools program, which teaches primary school aged children the basics of first aid and emergency response. The program has been running since 2013 and has been delivered to 50,000 primary school children in South Australia alone. An advocate of the schools program is 14-year-old Hayley Spencer, who used her first-aid training to assist a classmate suffering from a seizure in the classroom. She acted without hesitation to help her classmate while her teacher left to seek assistance. Hayley has been a St John volunteer since she was eight years old. Hayley's example shows that first-aid skills are invaluable.

I would encourage all schoolchildren to take up Hayley's advice and take advantage of the St John First Aid in Schools program. There may come a time where your vital first-aid skills are required to save a person's life. Hayley's story exemplifies the reciprocal relationship between St John and its volunteers. St John relies on extraordinary people who volunteer their time to serve their community. In return, St John volunteers receive critical life skills, garner the support of a well-respected community organisation and gain the ability to help a person in need of first aid.

In addition to providing health services and first-aid training, St John is active in the community. The organisation has implemented a multitude of community programs to improve health and wellbeing in our community. St John Community Care is one such example. The program enables the elderly to live healthier and more fulfilling lives by participating in a range of activities. St John volunteers assist older members of the community in a myriad of ways, from going out with them for a friendly coffee to accompanying them to a doctor's appointment. Aileen Guterres, for example, has been a St John volunteer for 12 years, and one of her clients is 85-year-old Mary Wallis. Mrs Wallis enjoys speaking about current events and meeting up for a cup of tea. For Aileen, the in-depth conversations they share help fill a personal void left by the loss of her late parents.

St John understands that independence, social inclusion and an active lifestyle are all important aspects of living a fulfilling life. However, in many ways St John's community programs are mutually beneficial, and highlight the satisfaction felt by volunteers and program participants alike.

It is important to say that as St John Ambulance is a not-for-profit charity it relies on bequests and charitable donations to perform its functions, and I would like to thank all those individuals and businesses who have donated to St John Ambulance over the years. Their contributions are incredibly valuable. I would also like to congratulate and pay tribute to each and every one of the highly skilled and qualified St John staff and volunteers who dedicate their time to deliver emergency first aid and community care services.

In particular, I pay tribute to the following people: Karen Limb, Chair of St John Ambulance SA; Michael Cornish APM, Chief Executive Officer of St John Ambulance SA; and His Excellency Hieu Van Le, Governor of South Australia, Deputy Prior of St John Ambulance Australia and Knight of the Order of St John. These individuals represent St John Ambulance with the utmost professionalism and dedication to the organisation.

I must knowledge St John Ambulance SA volunteers, and the outstanding work they have done and continue to do for the South Australian community. St John Ambulance depends on the selfless sacrifice of volunteers to deliver what is an invaluable service to the South Australian community. Their service and dedication is an example to us all.

For 135 years St John Ambulance has been a trusted and revered organisation within the South Australian community. As the Minister for Health and Wellbeing I congratulate St John Ambulance on its 135th anniversary in Australia, and I thank the organisation for the incredible work it has done and continues to do for the people of South Australia. I commend the motion to the council.

Debate adjourned on motion of Hon. I.K. Hunter.

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