St John Ambulance Australia

Infobox Organization
name = St John Ambulance Australia|5px


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abbreviation = SJAA
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formation = 1883
type = Charitable organisation
Limited company
headquarters = Canberra Avenue, Forrest, ACT 2603
location = Australia
membership = 12,631 [ [http://www.stjohn.org.au/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=27&Itemid=39 St John Ambulance Australia - Volunteering ] ]
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affiliations = St. John Ambulance
website = http://www.stjohn.org.au

St John Ambulance Australia (SJAA) is a self-funding charitable organisation dedicated to helping people in sickness, distress, suffering or danger. It is part of an international organisation that consists of eight Priories that form the Order of St John.

History

St John First Aid training centres were established in Australia in the late 19th century. On the 13 June 1883 a public meeting was held in the Melbourne Town Hall to form a local branch of the association. By the end of June 1883, a centre had been established under the leadership of Edward Neild.

The first division of the St John Ambulance Brigade (now known as first aid services/operations branch) was established in Glebe, NSW in 1903. Other states followed suit, with divisions being set up in other states soon after. In 1987, the organisation adopted a single public title, "St John Ambulance Australia". The cadet movement was established in Australia in 1925 with a division in Glebe, NSW. The first grand prior's badge issued outside the UK went to a cadet from Marrickville Cadet Division in 1933 named Marion Higgins.

In 2005, it was decided that the organisation would adopt a corporate structure with closer relationships between the branches of St John, known as 'One St John'.

Structure of St John

The national board oversees St John in the whole of Australia. The organization is then divided into the states/territories who have their own boards and oversee the day to day running of St John. Some states are also divided into regions, who oversee all branches and report to the state boards.

St John Ambulance Australia has several main areas of activity:

First Aid Services & "Volunteer First Aid Service" (Also known as Operations Branch):St John provides volunteer first aid services at events and emergencies. St John covers public events such as local and major sporting events, concerts and fun runs. First Aid Services is divided into states, regions and divisions.

This branch is headed up nationally by Chief Commissioner Prof Paul Arbon AM CStJ

St John volunteers support state emergency management and disaster plans in some states.

Training:St John is the largest first aid training organisation in Australia. Apart from its flagship Senior First Aid course, St John also offer instruction in advanced topics such as ALS (Advanced Life Support), which includes Advanced Resuscitation, AED (Automated External Defibrillation) and analgesic administration (including entinox gas and methoxyflurane analgesics). Courses offered include: Basic Life Support, Occupational First Aid, Industrial First Responder and Industrial Paramedic.

Ophthalmic Care:St John Ambulance Australia raises funds and recruits staff for the St John Ophthalmic Eye Hospital in Jerusalem. Funds are raised through public donation, and income received from conducting first aid courses and selling first aid kits and merchandise.

Community Care:St John Community Care conducts programs that are specific to each state. These activities range from assisting disadvantaged youth, to providing voluntary transport and support programs for the frail and elderly.

Ambulance Service:In Western Australia and the Northern Territory St John Ambulance provides the statutory ambulance service. This service is provided through a combination of paid and volunteer staff. Paid Ambulance Officers and Paramedics are used in the metropolitan areas and larger regional centres. Volunteer Ambulance Officers are used in regional areas and some outer metropolitan areas.

Youth and Cadet Movements

St John runs Cadet divisions for children aged 8-17, this includes Juniors (8-12) and Cadets (11-17).

St John Ambulance also has numerous divisions for universities, although not all members are university students.

The youth program in Australia, focuses on developing young people in a variety of aspects. Young members are not only taught the life saving skills of first aid, but they also participate in youth development and social activities. For cadets, it is also possible to study for various badge rewards, of whose topics include counter-disaster, animal care and cookery, to name a few.

In general, youth and cadet divisions meet once a week, to in a designated place, to conduct a training night. As mentioned above, these nights are not just spent learning first aid. The training program includes various other topics, which are of general interest to most.

Youth members within Event and Emergency First Aid Service programs attend public duties to provide first aid at various events to members of the public. These duties include things such as: Big Day Out, Royal Easter Show (NSW), National Folk Festival (ACT), AFL Games (All AFL states), NRL, Super 12, and Rugby Union games, among other popular events. There are also many more lower profile events, like local fetes and markets. At these duties, St John members use treatment tools such as: oxygen therapy, defibrillation and analgesic gases on top of the standard first aid equipment.

In most states, new youth members will be put through a Senior First Aid Course (SFA), which is usually worth ~$200.

St John youth also provides leadership opportunities for people of all ages. The program possesses a specially-designed leadership program and a ranking system similar to the military.

First aid competitions are also held each year. This is a very popular thing among the youth movement. In these competitions, cadets (in teams of up to 3, or on their own) are tested on their: first aid skill, practical thinking and problem solving ability, and scene management skills. A national competition is held each year, at the National Cadet Camp (commonly regarded as NatCamp). Thanks to the Glebe Cadet Division Team in 2007, New South Wales won the overall championship, breaking a 10 year drought for the state. New South Wales repeated the result in 2008 to become back-to-back champions, this time led by Bankstown City Cadet Division's Cadet Leader.

Youth Councils

Each State and Territory is encouraged to facilitate provision of a Youth Council, the National Office also facilitates the Australian Youth Council. Broadly, Youth Councils provide guidance to St John on issues affecting the organisation and its future development, particularly concerning the opinion and interests of young people.

In 2006, the Australian Youth Council (AYC) restructured to be made up of 16 State/Territory representatives (nominated by their State/Territory, including the State/Territory Chairperson and another representative) and 5 National portfolio holders, including a Communications Coordinator, Training and Leadership Coordinator, Research Development Coordinator, Policy Coordinator and Australian Chair. The AYC Chair also sits as a full member of the National Board of Directors for St John Ambulance Australia. The aims of the Australian Youth Council include:

1. To work across St John to make it the volunteering organisation of choice for young people in Australia.

2. To provide opportunity for young people to actively participate in the governance of St John.

3. To provide guidance to St John that will contribute to the further development and improvement of the organisation.

4. To develop young leaders in St John.

5. To be relevant to young people.

The AYC usually meets in person once or twice a year, usually including the National Conference or Priory in June, and another meeting (Youth Stakeholders Weekend) later in the year, as well as teleconferences during the year which may include either the entire Council or the National Team.

Youth councils consist of young people in the organisation who are aged 12 to 25 years.

States and Territories of Operation

St John Ambulance Australia Western Australia [ [http://www.health.wa.gov.au/services/detail.cfm?Unit_ID=790 health.wa.gov.au] ]

St John Ambulance Australia Northern Australia

St John Ambulance Australia Australian Capital Territory

St John Ambulance Australia New South Wales

St John Ambulance Australia South Australia

St John Ambulance Australia Northern Territory

St John Ambulance Australia Tasmania

St John Ambulance Australia Queensland

St John Ambulance Australia Victoria

Trivia

* A team of 5000 members helped treat 1500 casualties at the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games.
* According to studies conducted by St John Ambulance and the Ambulance Service in Melbourne, the Melbourne Cricket Ground is the safest place in the world to suffer a heart attack owing to the extent of the expert pre-hospital care provided at the venue.
* St John Ambulance (NSW) will turn 125 years old in 2008. New South Wales has also provided support to World Youth Week, dispatching more volunteers than that needed for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.

See also

* St. John Ambulance
* Venerable Order of Saint John
*Service Medal of the Order of St John

References

External links

* [http://www.stjohn.org.au/ Official Website]
* [http://www.stjohnnt.org.au/ St John Operations Northern Territory]