AMBULANCE WORK

Evening Post, Volume CXXI, Issue 144, 19 June 1936, Page 7

AMBULANCE WORK

ST. JOHN ASSOCIATION

DEVELOPMENT ELSEWHERE

A comprehensive survey of the work that is being done throughout New Zealand by the St. John Ambulance Association was given by Dr. J. S. Elliott, the chairman, at the annual meeting of the association last night.

"I feel that we in Wellington are not always aware of what is being carried out by the other centres," said Dr. Elliott, in seconding the, adoption of the annual report.

"In Auckland the St. John Ambur lance Association and Brigade are most active, and the Auckland Centre is re» sponsible for the administration of ambulance transport, and ambulance! are stationed as follows:—Whangarei, 2; Dargaville, 1; Auckland, 8; Thames, 1; Tauranga, 1; Gisborne, 1; and Tau« marunui, 1; a total of 15."

Early last year the Waikato Hospital Board asked the association to take over the invalid transport in its district. Arrangement was entered into in March under which the Hospital Board provided the cost of two ambulances and renovated and remodelled the ambulance formerly in use at the Hamilton Hospital, and agreed to pay the association a subsidy of £500 per annum for carrying on the service. At Te Aroha and Cambridge the association and brigade headed movements which have resulted in an ambulance being provided for both towns. The people of Te Aroha raised the sum of £600 and purchased a new ambulance. "In conjunction with the provisioa of ambulances in the Waikato area, each of the borough councils of HamilI ton, Cambridge, and Rotorua has given (a site for the erection of an ambulance station," said Dr. Elliott. "The people of Dargaville have provided a neat little station for the ambulance there, providing also a lecture-room for the Dargaville ambulance division of the St. John Ambulance Brigade. The total number of ambulances in the Auckland province under the auspices of the St. John Ambulance Association totals 20. In Auckland the district nursing service is controlled by the Auckland Centre committee, and during the past year a new department for out-patients was opened, which in.

addition to dealing with first-aid treat* merit, gives valuable assistance and advice to the many that apply. Some 13,000 visits were made to the sick poor in their own homes,, and approximately 19,000 niiles were travelled. A further branch of the work at Auckland is the St. John Ambulance Sewing Guild, which meets at the; Auckland Ambulance !=i\tion each Wednesday. The object of this guild is the making of garments for the district nursing service, relief camps, clinics, and the casualty rooms at the wharf. Many; thousand articles have been made, mostly out of second-hand material. THE WEST COAST.

"On the west coast of the North, Island," continued Dr. Elliott, "the Wanganui centre carries on the work of the Order for that town and the Taranaki district. The association largely confines its activities.to the organising

of classes in first aid to the injured

and home nursing. A successful development of the past year was the provision of a free ambulance for the city and district of Wanganui. The Wanganui City Council recognises the difficulties under which the association has been working, and has granted

further accommodation in the first storey of the Corporation cost office and showroom.

"In the South Island, at Christchurch the association conducts the ambulance transport, and has a fleet of four vehicles, and also one stationed at Lytteltbn. Further south, at Timaru the association concentrates on the invalid transport service,' which now includes .the area from the Rangitata River in the north to the Waikato River in the south. The service is maintained by voluntary drivers, and the assets of the association are £3000. with no liabilities, and at the present time this centre is awaiting the delivery of a new English car, which i* to be prepared at a cost of £500, and which will be available for service within the next few weeks free of debt. The St. John Ambulance Brigade in Timaru also render unselfish service to the community, as they do throughout the Dominion. The ambulance travelled a distance of 3312 miles during the past twelve months. At Dunedin, transport is carried out by the centre committee, and records show 1481 patients transoorted and a distance of 10,349 miles was travelled. Dunedin is also administering the voluntary Blood Transfusion Society, mainly composed of brigade members and interested citizens. There were 44 blood transfusions given • during the twelve months just past. District nursing is also a branch of the association's work in Dunedin. The district nurses have supplied medical and household comforts as required, and hav« visited 5520 people.

"Hospital hostesses work for the association in Dunedin. These hostesses assist the patients in many ways and arrange with various car owners conducting outings for convalescents. Then we have the ladies* Build, which works consistently, making garments which are distributed by the district nurse. The Oamaru branch of the Dunedin centre controls a motor ambulance, which for that town has arranged for 108 removals, and has travelled a distance of 1798 miles in the year. At Waimate and Invercareill, ambulance transnort is carried out by the St. John Ambulance Association, so that throughout New Zealand, the members of this humanitarian Order are discharging tmblic services working fop the safety of our people, , both on the snorts fields and in places of industry. "Anyone who wants instruction," concluded Dr. Elliott, "can come to the association and learn for a nominal fee."