ORDER OF ST. JOHN

Dominion, Volume 31, Issue 241, 8 July 1938, Page 5

ORDER OF ST. JOHN

Ambulance Work In

Wellington

ACTIVITIES REVIEWED

The activities of the Wellington centre of the St. John Ambulance Association during the quarter which ended on June 30 last were summarised in a detailed report of the secretary, Mr. C. Mcachen. The report was received at a general committee meeting held yesterday, when Sir James Elliott, Knight of Grace of the Order of St. John, was re-elected chairman for the ensuing year. Sir James has held this position for the past eight years. Mrs. E. Balcombe-Brown, commander of the ‘order and president of the Wellington District Nursing Guild of St. John, was welcomed to the committee.

The report stated that the Defence Department hud adopted the St. John Ambulance Association preliminary first-aid text book for the training of cadets in secondary schools where cadet unite were attached. A supply of 300 copies had been purchased by the department. On June 28 the secretary addressed a meeting of the Wellington Railway Ambulance Division, and also a number of women employees of the department. "Efforts are now being made to establish a nursing division at the Wellington station,” the report adds. “If this is approved of by the head office it will be the first of its kind established in the Dominion.”

With a view to extending the activities of the Wellington centre for the ensuing year the secretary framed a programme for 1938-39 which included the following suggestions: “To maintain a continuous programme of establishing new sub-eentres and branches and strengthening existing sub-centres, especially Napier, Waipawa, Palmerston North and Marlborough; to maintain n general programme of educational publicity in defining the aims and objects of first aid, home nursing nnd hygiene; to conduct a special refresher course over a period of three months, n- circular to be issued to all candidates who have qualified for association awards during the past three years; maintain the cooperation of Police. Transport Departments. dental clinic, eity council employees. automobile association and Railway Department; establish first-aid posts at beaches (with support of the city council) ; extend the scheme of establishing roadside first-aid posts, with the cooperation of the Transport Department and the automobile association.”