ST. JOHN AMBULANCE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22226, 28 September 1935, Page 1 (Supplement)

ST. JOHN AMBULANCE

IIY J.F.11.

SOME LIGHTER ASPECTS

To the man in the street the St. John Ambulance driver is something of a mystery; when his services arc required lie appears suddenly with his big machine, deals efficiently with the case in hand, and is gone, leaving a somewhat indignant crowd of sensationseekers to puzzle over the victim's injuries and to hearten one another with ominous opinions as to the culpability of the motorist concerned. The ambulance driver, who has prevented quite half the pleasure of the inveterate seeker-after-thrills by brusquely requesting him to stand back where he is quite unable to see the injured person, "is generally supposed to be something of an official automaton, closely akin to a policeman who keeps fools out of harm's way at a lire, or an unsympathetic electrician who refuses point-blank to permit crowding round a broken hightension wire.

It never occurs to the casual witness of an accident that the driver who whirls his big ambulance so neatly through the traffic,.- and snatches the injured person from tho gaze of the pleasurably-shocked onlookers, might have a sense of humour sufficiently well developed to enable him to appreciate the lighter side of his duties. Indeed, few realise that there exists anything but a serious side to ambulance work, yet it is the amusing incidents, and the ability to appreciate them, that often save a St. John driver from being too deeply atfected by the pain and suffering in the midst of which he is constantly moving. There is considerably more in the life of a St. John driver than the rather spectacular dash through traffic to pick up an accident victim. Each member of the transport statf, as well as being an expert first-aid man and a highlyskilled driver, has been called upon to play strangely-assorted roles, and it is to the credit of the organisation that such unexpected duties as those of nursemaid, godfather, and personal attendant have been undertaken cheerfully, if not always with the greatest possible success. Unexpected Responsibilities

The story is told, by other members of the st.au of course, and with great gusto, of the junior driver who found himself transformed into a nursemaid for four babies. It was during the disastrous Hawke's Bay earthquake that it was found necessary to move the inmates of a maternity hospital to safer quarters, and tho biggest ambulance, which has four berths, was pressed into service for the purposo. A crew of two was assigned to the task, and the junior man hau no inkling of the responsibilities about to be thrust upon him until four mothers had been safely lodged on the four stretchers. The senior man took the wheel, and gravely told his outraged subordinate to get inside and look after the babies. There was a rebellious in his eyes as he did as he was told. With a dexterity that would have done credit to .a professional juggler, he managed to balance the four babies in his arms and with two howling discordantly, and the other two voicing loud appreciation, the journey commenced. It was only a short run, but the harassed junior, with his unaccustomed burden, found it quite long enough. All arrived safely, but the rebellious look had been replaced with a glassy stare that told of trials bravely borne. It is not always the juniors who find themselves in embarrassing positions. One of the senior members of the staff was transporting a patient to hospital when a baby was born in the ambulance, and the driver's kindness on that occasion was evidently appreciated. Some months later a woman called at ambulance headquarters and sought an interview with the manager. From him she wished to know the name of the driver who had taken her to a certain hospital some time previously. The request was unusual, but the information was duly supplied. The woman blushed faintly and volunteered the information that the baby born in the ambulance showed promise of growing into a fine boy, and she wished to call him after tho driver who had taken charge so capably. Tho particular driver is still wondering whether tho baby was duly christened Peter. Thoughtless Patients

Two drivers at least are prepared to vouch for the extraordinary degree of thoughtlessness displayed by some patients. It is comparatively recently that one member of the staff was sent to a North Shore address to take a patient to hospital, and on arrival he was met at the door by a woman who was apparently in the middle of her household duties. She asked him to wait for a few minutes, and disappeared inside. With steadily growing surprise and indignation the driver waited for about ten minutes and then rang the bell again. Another member of the household opened the door and told him that the patient was ready. On going inside the driver was amazed to find that the woman who had first greeted him was the patient and that she had calmly undressed and gone to bed to give him the doubtful pleasure of carrying her 011 a stretcher to the waiting ambulance. A somewhat similar experience befell another driver who was despatched to a country address on a wet night. At the settlement nearest the farm ho was directed to leave the main road and take a route little better than a clay track, so narrow that he considered it wise to reverse up to the house in case it should be impossible to turn round when ho got there. With the heavy machine sliding from sido to side in the wet clay, and rain pouring steadily down to make conditions worse, the driver was wondering how much further he would have to go when he saw the welcome rays of an electric torch.

The newcomer was obliging. He directed the beam of his torch so as to assist the driver in his difficult piece of reversing, and from timo to timo encouraged the ambulance man with the statement that there was only a little further to go. At last a farmhouse loomed out of the rain, and the driver, thankful to have arrived, asked the torch-bearer to assist him in carrying the patient to the machine. " Oh, 1 am the patient," the man blandly informed him.

It is wonderful how years of discipline can teach a man to restrain his feelings, and it is on record that tho journey to the hospital was accomplished in a silence broken only by the purring of the motor and a strange sound closely resembling the grinding of teeth. A Magician? There was grim humour following an accident on a busy Auckland road not many months ago. St. John headquarters were informed that the smash was fatal, and on arrival at tho scene the driver found a frantic mother being forcibly restrained from endeavouring to reach the still form of her youngest son. No doctor had been called, the driver was told, but some kind hand had laid a blanket over the child.

Reverently, tho driver lifted the blanket to make an examination —he was greeted by a cheerful grin, and a request for information as to what had happened. The child, momentarily stunned when struck by a motor-car, was in hospital only a short time, but in the eyes of the mother tho St. John driver is still a magician.