WORK OF ST. JOHN AMBULANCE

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 120, 14 February 1941, Page 9

WORK OF ST. JOHN AMBULANCE

Need For Funds Urged

EMERGENCY PRECAUTIONS

SCHEME

The annual meeting of the. St. John Ambulance Association in Wellington was held last night. There was a large attendance, the majority being tn the uniforms of the men’s and womens voluntary aid detachments. I’be piesentation of certificates to V.A.D. s who had completed a course of training a the Public Hospital, and the showin,, of a film dealing with the treatment of incendiary bombs were features ol the meeting. The Hon. Sir Charles Statham, who was to have made an address. was unable to be present but messages were read on bis behalf by Mr. C. S. Falconer. The mayor, Mr. Hislop, was in the chair. He said that the St. John Ambulance Association was playing a vital part in the Emergency Precautions Scheme. The scheme, he said, was one of very real importance to the city, and its need was now being recognized by the citizens. Though its was growing rapidly, and about. -000 people were actively taking part in it, it needed three times that number to make it effective and to avoid a disaster of great magnitude in the area of Wellington city. Enemy Raids. Mr Hislop detailed the possibilities of enemy raids and the manner in which those trained under the scheme could combat the effects of such raids. The work being done by the St. John Ambulance Association in training its members would be of essential help should sueli an emergency arise. Commenting on the balance-sheet, .Mr. Hislop said that it disclosed the need for intensive effort to bring more funds to the association. He mentioned the tine work done by the association toward raising £I<IO,OOO for the sick and wounded appeal. Sir James Elliott, chairman of the Joint Council of the Order of St. John and the Red Cross Society in New Zealand, said that the annual report revealed a tremendous amount, of activity. He gave a brief review of the extensive work being done by the association. and said that 6000 candidates bad passed the association’s examinations in first, aid and home nursing. Need for Finance.

The finances of the association were causing some anxiety, he said, as the work was very far from self-support-ing. At times such as the present they were much too busy to beg more from the public. Each class was run at a loss, and there had been exceptional demands on the association since the outbreak of war. He detailed moneys received from the Government in former years which had not been available in latter years, and spoke of the wonderful work of the association, working with the joint council, in raising money for patriotic purposes. “In future,” he said, “I cannot see how the association is going to function, doing the work, unless it gets some financial help.” On behalf of Sir Charles Statham, Mr. Falconer made sjiecial reference to the fine work of the St. John’s Ambulance Women’s War Committee, and the Wellington South branch, which bad supplied women members to take a course as signallers. He made special reference to the high respect felt by the association for the late Colonel Esson, Mr. C. J. Tonks, and Mr. B. Tripp. He also extended the greetings and congratulations of Sir Heaton Rhodes to the meeting. .The election of officers was as follows :—Vice-presidents: Archbishop O’Shea, Mrs. W. J. Helyer, S.S.St.J., Bishop Holland, Mr. W. A. Armour, Bishop Sprott, Dr. J. Cairney (medical superintendent, Wellington Public Hospital), the Commissioner of Transport, Mr. G. L. Laurensbn, .S.B.St.J.. the General Manager of Railways, Mr. E. Casey, A.M.1.C.E., the Commissioner of Police. Mr. D. G. Cummings, S.B.St.J., Colonel J. L. Saunders (Director Dental Division), Lady Elliott (president, Order of St. John Women’s War Committee). General Committee: Mrs. C. B. Gaby, M.8.E., O.St.J., Mrs. E. M. Osborn, S.S.St.J., Dr. S. Harcourt Arthur, S.B.St.J., Mr. Frank Kennedy, Dr. C. Gordon Kemp, S.B.St.J., Senior-Ser-geant G. J. Paine (Police Department), Mrs. Balcombe Brown, Mr. J. AV. Collins, 0.8. E., Mr. Charles Clabburn, Mr. F. AV. Ward, O.St.J., Miss H. McKnight, S.S.St.J., Dr. C. G. Morice, Sir James Elliott, K.St.J., Mr. S. J. Harrison, 0.8. E.. Mr. J. Annand-Smith, J.P., Mt. H. A. Huggins, O.St.J., Chief-Inspector E. H. Barrett (Transport Department).