St John Ambulance National Priory Conference Governor's Reception
Speech by His Excellency the Honourable Chief Justice Paul de Jersey, AC,
Acting Governor of Queensland
18th June, 2009
Chancellor of the Order of St John in Australia, Dr Neil Conn AO,
Chairman, St John Ambulance Australia (Queensland), Dr Vlas Efstathis, OAM,
President, St John Ambulance Australia (Queensland), Professor John Pearn AM,
Members, Volunteers, Ladies and Gentlemen,
As has become customary in our State, in the spirit of reconciliation and harmony, I begin by acknowledging the traditional custodians of the land on which we are gathered, the Eastern Yugembeh people.
It is a great pleasure for me to be here at the St John Ambulance National Priory Conference. I take the opportunity of this traditional Governor's Reception to welcome you all to the Gold Coast, and to extend a particular welcome to those attending the Conference from interstate and overseas. I can see you have had a very interesting, stimulating and busy program thus far, with more to come tomorrow and through the weekend. I hope you nevertheless manage to find time to explore at least some of the iconic Gold Coast attractions and enjoy the hospitality of this dynamic part of Queensland.
It is no exaggeration to say that St John Ambulance has become part of the very fabric of Australian society. Dedicated to helping people in sickness, distress, suffering or danger, the familiar, black and white liveried St John First Aid Service members have an integral presence at almost all major community events. Likewise, the non-uniformed, Community Services members provide valuable help and support to vulnerable people craving friendship, compassionate care or help.
So familiar, so professional and so reliable are the community services provided by St John, that there is risk they may be ‘taken for granted'. But as everyone here well knows - and as should be more widely known throughout the community - the critical services provided by St John are only possible through the dedicated and committed service of very many people - the 12,631 St John volunteers, donating more than 1.3 million hours of service every year - the very backbone of St John Ambulance Australia. The volunteers are admirably supported by a progressive, business oriented administration. St John Ambulance has been active in Australia for 125 years. The community remains the grateful beneficiary of a service which well meets, and anticipates, contemporary needs and expectations.
The focus of the 2009 Priory Conference on volunteers and the ‘emerging colours' - emerging issues and trends in volunteer organisations - is timely and important. In a more complex world, where there are so many demands on individuals' time and resources, the job of managing a large volunteer organisation, as well as the challenge of leading, inspiring and replenishing the corps of volunteers, has become much more difficult - but equally, much more important, as the demand for the services they provide has also grown and expanded. In an increasingly multidisciplinary world, there are lessons to be drawn from the business world, from the educational establishment - dare I say it, from the legal community - as well as from your own history and the broader community services milieu, that can help St John meet this challenge. This Conference, by harvesting the diverse backgrounds and experience characterising the members, and by facilitating the sharing of knowledge and experience on recruitment, development and retention of volunteers, is crucial to the future of St John, and by extension, to the security of the services it provides to the community.
On behalf of all of those who rely on the services St John Ambulance provides, I encourage you to engage in these discussions and to continue to develop your knowledge and skills, and most importantly, to take what you have learned back to your communities, as you help St John navigate the evolving challenges of its mission in Australia.
I hope you are finding the Conference stimulating and worthwhile, that you enjoy the forthcoming days, and that the Conference will help St John to further its mission "For the Service of Humanity"; and for that service, on behalf of the community, I express profound thanks.