Active in Australia for over 130 years, St John Ambulance Australia is a self-funding, charitable organisation active in all States and Territories, dedicated to helping people in sickness, distress, suffering or danger. Providing services to a broad scope of the community, St John Ambulance Australia is the country's leading supplier of first aid services and training.
St John Ambulance Australia is a self-funding charitable organisation active in all Australian States and Territories, dedicated to helping people in sickness, distress, suffering or danger.
We have been active in Australia for over 130 years, and internationally are part of a wider organisation with a long and honourable history. St John Ambulance Australia provides a myriad of services within the community, from ongoing services for the aged or infirm to first aid services for special events. Here are just some of the things we do.
The Order of St John is a major international charity, accredited to the United Nations, whose organisations provide first aid, health care and support services in over 40 countries around the world. The Order's charitable work is carried out by the St John Eye Hospital Group in Jerusalem and St John Ambulance organisations worldwide - with volunteers and staff of over 400,000.
The Order of St John traces its origins back 900 years to the Knights Hospitaller from whom St John today derives its inspiration and maxims – Pro Fide Pro Utilitate Hominum, 'For the Faith and in the Service of Humanity.'
The Order of St John itself is an Order of Chivalry of the British Crown with 25,000 members around the world. The full name for the Order of St John is The Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem.
The annual report details the activities of the St John Ambulance Australian Office for the past year and outlines financial statements. This is an important resource for our stakeholders, members and the general public.
St John Ambulance Australia is a member of The Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem. The Order’s mission is to prevent and relieve sickness and injury and to act to enhance the health and wellbeing of people of all races and creeds. This mission guides the work we do and our activities in influencing leaders and decisions makers to help St John make first aid a part of everybody’s life.
From time to time St John Ambulance Australia prepares relevant and pertinent policy positions and submissions to governments on a range of issues of importance to its membership, in the first aid and emergency management area, and matters that impact the not-for-profit sector.
St John Ambulance Australia’s current policy positions may be downloaded here.
St John Ambulance Australia's National Medical Advisory Panel is tasked to advise the National Board on medical issues relevant to the work of St John.
The scope of the Panel’s advice includes (but is not necessarily limited to):
• monitoring first aid protocols and skills standards, and providing authoritative advice on the theory and practice of first aid
• determining whether change is required in first aid practice as relevant to the National Training Program, e-learning and print resources
• determining whether change is required in first aid procedures used in Event Health Services, and related services.
The Panel
The Panel is comprised of the Chair (Director of Training), the Deputy Chair (Deputy Director of Training), and up to eight members, chosen for their medical or emergency expertise in a range of first aid fields e.g. emergency medicine, paediatric medicine, sports medicine, paramedicine/ambulance, nursing, and advanced life support. Members of the Panel are volunteers; they meet twice a year, with out-of-session teleconferences when required.
The National Medical Advisory Panel:
Panel members
Human Research Ethics Committee
St John Ambulance Australia encourages members to carry out research in areas related to the organisation by offering research grants and research ethics approval.
The St John Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) is registered with the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC). The Committee represents a range of members of the community, and is responsible for reviewing research applications to ensure human research conducted is ethical and meets relevant standards as set out by the NHMRC.
The Committee
Professor Peter Leggat, Chair
Dr Jason Bendall, Deputy Chair
Mr Howard Wren
Mr Tony Rolfe
Mr Jamie Ranse
Ms Elizabeth Ellis
Bishop Richard Hurford
St John Ambulance Australia's Ophthalmic Program aims to raise funds to continue support of the St John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital Group (SJEGH), and ophthalmic activities in Timor Leste and remote Australia.
St John Ambulance Australia has a very close relationship with the SJEHG in the Middle East, providing funding and support to the Hospital for over 130 years. The SJEGH is the main provider of eye healthcare for Palestinians in East Jerusalem, and many patients are referred from medical centres across the West Bank and Gaza. As it is the only charitable provider of eye healthcare, the importance of the hospital for the region cannot be overstated. Explore the SJEGH's website to find out more about the Hospital and to read engaging stories of the work done there: https://www.stjohneyehospital.org/
Read about the history of the St John Eye Hospital Group (flyer)
Read about the Mobile Outreach unit of the St John Eye Hospital Group (flyer)
Australian Friends of the SJEGH is a fresh approach to engage our members, staff and clients with the activities of the St John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital Group. It is hoped that the Friends will continue the fundraising efforts that support's the Hospital's two lecturers at their School of Nursing. Become a Friend of the SJEHG; download the membership form here.
The St John Ophthalmic Association was established to provide a forum for communication between ophthalmologists around the globe—all united by an interest in, and desire to support the work of the St John Eye Hospital in Jerusalem. Please contact your regional Chair of SOA for further information about how, as an eye healthcare professional, you might be able to contribute to eye health in your region or internationally:
David Verity, SOA – Europe, info@SOA.global
Anne Coleman, SOA – Americas, doctor_coleman@yahoo.com
Nitin Verma SOA – Asia Pacific, nitver3@gmail.com
The role of the St John Hospitaller has its roots in the original Order of Hospitallers founded over 900 years ago during the Crusades, and in the medieval Grand Priory of England of over 400 years. Today, the Hospitaller manages the relationship between the Priory and the St John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital and other regions which require eye health care.
The current Hospitaller is Dr Nitin Verma FRANZCO, MD, MMeD, Dip NBE. Read about Nitin, here.
In the Nineteenth Century a group of citizens revived the Order of St John in England, drawing their inspiration from the example of the Knights of St John who in medieval times, offered care and shelter for pilgrims and crusaders. St John Ambulance was subsequently formed to put its humanitarian ideals into practice in the new industrial society, promoting the cause of first aid for the sick and wounded through volunteer effort—a novel concept at the time and a much-needed one.
The movement spread to Australia in 1883 and has since developed into the organisation that we know today. The work of the Order of St John is carried out in many countries around the world. St John is a Royal Order of Chivalry with the Queen as its Sovereign Head.
To become a member of your State/Territory Historical Society, please download and complete the Membership Application form. The form should be sent to your State/Territory Membership Officer, listed here.
The Journal of the St John Ambulance Historical Society of Australia.
St John History appears annually and aims to report on the Society's important developments and events. As the Society's principal publication, it is distributed to all financial members. Included in each edition of the Journal are the papers delivered to the Society's most recent history seminar that takes place each year during the St John Ambulance Australia annual convention.
Correspondence about articles in the Journal should be directed to the Editor, Dr Ian Howie-Willis: iwillis@ozemail.com.au
James Cheshire, Managing Editor, May 2016
Celebrate 15 years of the St John Historical Society of Australia—download the Order Form .