ST. JOHN AMBULANCE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22742, 30 November 1935, Page 24

ST. JOHN AMBULANCE

SUCCESSFUL SJREET APPEAL For the first time in a long period of years the St. John Ambulance Association held a street appeal in Dunedin yesterday. The effort was decidedly successful, and though the money received was not counted last night, the local secretary (Mr A. Peters) was in a position to announce that the- support accorded the appeal by the public was very satisfactory. At 4 o’clock in the afternoon well over £IOO had been paid into the bank, and as the collectors were in the streets until 8.30 p.m. it was expected that this sum would be augmented considerably. ... “ The work of the association is not as well known in Dunedin as it should be," said Mr Peters last evening, “ and it is hoped that this appeal will serve the double purpose of bringing in a substantial sum of money and attracting the notice of the public to the work that is being done. Just a few weeks ago there was a street accident in which a youth received injuries which bled dangerously. A crowd stood round, but until an ambulance man came along, no one was able to do anything for him. If that man’s help had been delayed' even a moment or two more, the injured youth might well have bled to death. The association has three district, nurses in Dunedin and they are doing wonderful work, especially among old people who need daily attention. The Blood Transfusion Society, is a branch of the association, and it now has over SO members. A short time ago, the association gave three medals to members who had. each provided five transfusions, and the, papers of these members showed definitely that their assistance had been the means of saving six lives.” ,V In order to focus attention on the association and its work, a comprehensive display was to be seen yesterday in the shop window of Messrs Arthur Barnett,. Ltd. A prominent feature of the display was the portrait of the Sovereign head of the order, hig Majesty the King, and in the background, between the flag of St. John and the Union Jack, was a portrait of the order’s headquarters in London—St. John’s Gate. Figures representing the home nursing brigade, and the Bt. John nursing division in their respective uniforms added to the attractiveness of the display. The efficiency of the Dunedin Corps was shown bv the number of valuable cups exhibited. The intercolonial cup, was won at Auckland at the last Easter competitions by the Hillside division, was foremost in the collection. This cup has been held by a team from Sydney which came over here to compete, and has been held- by various other sections throughout the Dominion, It, has been won by Hillside on two occasions. Another interesting trophy was the Canterbury rose bowl for interdistrict competition, which was won by the North-East Valley Home Nursing Division on Labour Day, when teams from all over the South Island competed. , , , Other interesting exhibits included portraits of the Wellington Corps, and competitions at'Auckland which proved conclusively that the work of St. John is fairly extensive, and that large hers are keenly active in the work of first aid. Various badges reveal the work that the student has to undergo before being considered fit to render service. A serving- sister medal, which is granted on very rare occasions, was to be seen, while other awards included medals for long service, and a very beautiful star, which is the decoration of a Knight of Gr&C€i There was a small army of collectors in the streets all day and these were provided by the following organisations:— The Salvation Army, the Girl Guides, the Legion of Frontiersmen, the Y.W.G.A., Imperial Ex-servicemen s Association, Knox Church Ladies’ Guild, the St. Vincent de Paul Sewing Guild, and. the bt. John Ambulance Association. Mesdames White, Campbell, Davis, W. A. Stevely, end friends also assisted.