St John Ambulance Australia
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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.
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[edit] 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) 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 Darlinghurst, NSW. The first grand prior's badge issued outside the UK went to a cadet from Marrickville Cadet Division in 1933.
In 2005, it was decided that the organisation would adopt a corporate structure with closer relationships between the branches of St John. St. John Ambulance Australia is Australia's leading provider in emergency first aid services, and showed this when a team of 5000 members helped treat 1500 casualties at the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games.
[edit] 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. The 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:
Event and Emergency First Aid: St John Ambulance Australia is the premier provider of first aid 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.
St John also provides appropriately trained personnel to support state emergency management and disaster plans.
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 Analgesic Gases, Advanced Resuscitation and AED (Automated External Defibrillation).
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 to assist disadvantaged youth and the frail and elderly.
Ambulance Service: In Western Australia and the Northern Territory, St John Ambulance also runs the official ambulance service, staffed by volunteer paramedics and career ambulance officers.
[edit] Youth movement
St John runs Cadet divisions for children aged 11-18, and may also have Juniors aged 8-11.
St John Ambulance also has numerous divisions for universities, although not all members are university students.
Youth Councils are run in each state, and there also exists an Australian Youth Council. These councils debate and create new policies and direction for St John youth. Youth councils represent young people from the ages of 8 to 25 years.
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 acitivities. For cadets, it is also possible to study various proficiency badges, from Counter Disaster to Caring for Animals to Cookery and Nutrition. There is no doubting the fact, that St John youth offers something for everyone.
In general, youth and cadet division 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.
As a youth member, you will be able to attend public duties, to provide first aid, at various events to members of the public. These duties include things like: Big Day Out, Royal Easter Show (NSW), National Folk Festival (ACT), AFL Games (All AFL states), NRL, Super 12, and Rugby Union games, to name just a few. There are also many more lower profile events, like local fetes and markets etc. At these duties, St John members use treatment tools such as: oxygen therapy, SAED (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. You will also be able to buy a first aid kit for a greatly reduced price, and that will be stocked as needed, free of charge. Your division (group of people who you meet with) may also train you in the use of oxygen therapy, suction, defibrillation and advanced resusitation, all before you turn 15.
St John youth also provides leadership opportunities for people of all ages. We have our own, specially devised leadership course, and we also have a system of rank 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). This year, the competition was held in Sydney, with the ACT taking out the team, cadet leader and camp shield. South Australia won individual, and Tasmania picked up Champion state. This was a great result for all those who won, and each of the trophies are very presitguous, with hundreds of cadets competing for each category.
Note: For the purposes of this article, "St John" refers to St John Ambulance Australia.
