St John launches local appeal for building and equipment
Victoria Saunders is the St John operational volunteer and Rex Heuvel the patient in this simulation of normal ambulance use. Photo: Supplied.
This year is St John’s 125th year of operation, a significant milestone for the charitable organisation, and this week is their appeal week.
Half a million “Flash a Light for St John” appeal envelopes will be mailed out to households around New Zealand, and as part of the local fundraising and awareness campaign, operational volunteer members will be launching their appeal alongside their ambulance outside Fresh Choice on Saturday 3 July, from 10am to 1pm. Various equipment will also be on display and blood pressures will be monitored.
Operating independently of government or business interests, and with a strong volunteer ethos, St John is one of this country’s significant community service providers. It provides ambulance services to 85 per cent of New Zealanders.
The Bay currently has 17 St John volunteers. Their operational team manager, Sue Netto, was recently recognised for her contribution by being invested as a Member of the Order of St John in a ceremony at the Christchurch Town Hall on May 23. She is the fifth Golden Bay resident to receive the honour since an ambulance service began here back in the mid-1970s, based in George Masters’ garage at Collingwood. The other recipients are Mary Baigent, Shirley Iorns, Bernal Reilly and Stuart Chalmers.
Sue Netto’s nomination acknowledged not only her contribution to the local ambulance and sporting event service, but also her invaluable contribution as a first aid tutor, and more lately to the Lifelink medical alarm service that St John now fully owns and operates.
The local organisation has seen some notable upgrades this year. The purchase of a new heart defibrillator, which will be used to treat patients going into cardiac arrest, was recently made possible with an $11,000 grant from last year’s Harcourt’s charity auction, and the Fiat Ducato ambulance was replaced six weeks ago with a later model of the same make and type.
Funds raised in the Bay will contribute toward the general purchase of equipment, and a building fund. Golden Bay’s ambulance has been housed alongside the medical centre in Takaka for the last 10 years, but exactly where that vehicle will be based after the health integration is still being discussed. Stu Chalmers, the St John area committee chairman, said all options are under investigation but an independent site may be the most likely outcome.
“Currently the majority of our drivers live either in Takaka or north and east of it, so if the ambulance was put out of town then that could sometimes mean a delay of several minutes going to pick it up to attend an accident. But there are other issues, too, like the flood plain; where Takaka township will be allowed to grow to; doctor availability and site security. Where we base the ambulance is not a decision we will be taking lightly, or one we’ll be rushing into.”
Gerard Hindmarsh
