FIRST AID EFFICIENCY.

Waikato Times, Volume 114, Issue 19066, 3 October 1933, Page 3

FIRST AID EFFICIENCY.

ST. JOHN AMBULANE.

FINE RECORD OF SERVICE

THE ORDER IN NEW ZEALAND. The conclusion of the winter sports season completes another page In the St. John Ambulance record of service which further enhances the great reputation which the organisation has achieved throughout the world. The sports grounds of New Zealand have provided ample'scope for the work of the brigades and nursing divisions this season, while fine service has been rendered in various phases of public duty. The Order of St. John of Jerusalem is one of the earliest orders of chivalry and is one of the vital forces in the fostering ol’ humanitarian work the world over. Its foundation goes back io the eleventh century, and a century later there was a hospital working in the name of the order, on the site of St. James Palace in London. It was devoted chiefly to the needs o£ lepers, who were so much feared by their fellow citizens that they were forced to don special clothes, and also to sound a clapper to give warning of their approach in public places.

Birth of the Order. The birth of the order dates back lo 1099, and the stirring days of the First Crusade. It was in this year that Godfrey do Bouillon, one of the noblest representatives of medieval chivalry, rescued Jerusalem from the •hands of the infidel, and placed the Holy City under Christian rule. He found there a little hospital for Christian pilgrims under the charge of a humble and devoted Brother Gerard, and dedicated to St. John, the Baptist. The good monk had taken many ot' the wounded Christian soldiers into his care, and Duke Godfrey gave the hospital his patronage. It became famous, and many gifts were bestowed upon it, ami Brother Gerard resolved to make it the home of a new community, to which the name of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem was ■given.

When the good father of the poor and of the pilgrims died, the hospitallers elected as their prior and master a man of fervent spirit and piety. Raymond de Puy, who ruled the order for forty years, and made it perhaps the first, and certainly not the least, famous of Hie great orders of medieval chivalry. From that time onwards tile order was under the double charge to defend the Christian faith, and lo serve the sick and poor. By Hie middle of the twelfth century it had become established in England, •but by tile close of the sixteentli century, its days of power and glory had passed. However, it was not dead, and after lying dormant for more than two centuries, the English branch of the order was revived in 18 GL.

World-Wide Activities. A Royal Charier was granted in 18SS, and since then the progress and expansion of the order has continued throughout the world, its activities have, been ehiefiy evident in the work i>r llm line lmdy of men and women known as the 81. John Ambulance Brigade, who voluntarily give their services to 11 1 c help of the sick, and lo I hose who suffer mishaps in Ihe various activities of life. The work of (he brigades needs no introduction lo Ihe people in this district, which is foriiinalc in having a number of active, units of Ihe order. <>n all occasions where there are public assemblies their familiar uniforms arc in evidence ami their work is of inestimable value to on sections of Ihe community. An important phase of the ambulance activities in New Zealand Is llm cadcl movement, in which the. younger generation arc taught the principles of first aid. Good work is being done in this direction.

Work in New Zealand. An indication of the widespread activities of the order in New Zealand is given in the annual report for 1932, which discloses considerable progress in every aspect of the work. Cases offirst aid attended on public duty totalled 26,027, as against 17,954 for the previous year, and 15,276 for 1930. The Hamilton division attended to 402 eases, and the Frankton railway division, 207. The number of eases dealt with when not on publio duty was 19.28?, as against 19,102 for 1931, and 17,734 for 1930. Other aspects of the work of the brigades and nursing divisions accounted for further cases. In every centre and district they have fully maintained their reputation for service and efficiency, and have come to be regarded among sporting and other bodies, and the public generally, as indispensable where there is first aid work required to be done. There could be no more eloquent testimony to the fine work of the order than the widely expressed public appreciation of the service rendered.