St John Ambulance Queensland
Annual Parade and Church Service
Remarks by Her Excellency Ms Penelope Wensley AO, Governor of Queensland
Patron of St John Ambulance Australia (Queensland) and
Deputy Prior of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem
18th July, 2009
Commissioner of the Queensland Ambulance Service, Mr David Melville, APM,
Deputy Commissioner of St John Ambulance Australia (Queensland), Mr Peter McMurtrie,
Chief Executive Officer, St John Ambulance Australia (Queensland), Mr Errol Carey,
Chairman of St John Ambulance Australia (Queensland), Colonel Vlas Efstathis, OAM,
The Right Reverend Adrian Charles, AM,
Distinguished Members and Officers of the Order of St John;
Distinguished Members of St John Ambulance Queensland;
Award recipients, families and friends;
Ladies and Gentlemen,
As has become customary in Queensland at all significant public occasions, I begin by acknowledging the first peoples of Australia and in particular, the Jagera and Turrbal peoples who lived in this region and on the land where Brisbane was established. This acknowledgement is an active expression of the reconciliation we are seeking to promote throughout Australia.
It is my great pleasure, as the proud Patron of St John Ambulance in Queensland, to welcome you all this morning to this important event - one of the highlights of the year in the cycle of activities here at Government House and in the St John Ambulance calendar.
I am especially glad it is such a beautiful morning - although it is a little chilly, we were worried there might be wind and rain. Of course, there was a plan B - there always is - but fortunately, we have been blessed with sunshine - which seems appropriate on this day when in a very formal and solemn way, we bless the work of St John Ambulance Queensland and all who are committed to its work in serving our community.
This Annual Parade and Church Service is, I know, an event much looked forward to - an occasion for both celebration and reflection - for reaffirmation of the values and ethos that underpins St John Ambulance, for renewal of commitment to and belief in those values and to recognise the achievements of members who have served St John and the community with particular distinction, in the provision of first aid services.
These services have for so long been part of our lives that we take them for granted. I doubt that people often pause to think about how both the concept - and the practical actions involved - actually came into being.
Those of you who have read some of the material produced by St John Ambulance, including a report prepared by Colonel Vlas Efstathis, who is here with us this morning, will know that the notion of applying primary care to the sick and injured is an ancient concept, and was part of the battle strategies of the Ancient Romans, of Napoleon and of other great military commanders throughout history. Its development took a great step forward during the Franco-Prussian War, but the very first usage in the English language of the term ‘first aid' is attributed to officers of the St John Ambulance who conducted their first official first aid training course in 1878 in Britain.
So from its beginnings, the words ‘first aid' and ‘St John Ambulance' have been synonymous.
For the early settlers here in Queensland, as it was for those throughout Australia, many newly-arrived families in the colony possessed just two books: their bible and a medical book advising them on first aid.
More than 150 years have passed since our State was founded as an independent entity; in that time, both St John Ambulance and Queensland have grown and developed enormously - both are immeasurably more sophisticated, and the reach of St John into the community is now staggeringly large. Last year, St John Ambulance delivered 56,000 first aid certificates in Queensland, making it our State's largest first aid training provider; provided more than 191,000 hours of voluntary first aid and community care services; and treated close to 7,000 casualties. I expect those figures will be even higher for 2009 - with the pressures and demands created by the ongoing growth in our population and the floods and storms we have endured across the State.
In my role as patron of many community organisations - approaching 170 at last count - I read a lot of annual reports and frequently read how much a service is valued or measured according to its economic worth. Although this is obviously only one measure of worth - and for me, not the principal one - I think our Minister for Health (who was supposed to be with us this morning, but like some others scheduled to be here, had to attend some emergency meetings relating to swine flu) must be immensely grateful for the contribution that St John Ambulance makes to the State and the savings that the provision of more than 191,000 hours of first aid by the expertly trained volunteers of this great organisation represents.
Similarly, it would be impossible to calculate just how many lives have been saved by the provision of first aid since the St John Ambulance conducted its first training course all those years ago, but it would be a great number indeed. And it is no exaggeration to say that for most Queenslanders, St John Ambulance is the best known and most trusted provider of these services and the vital training that is needed to save lives - not just at public events or during natural disasters, but every day in our workplaces, in our schools, and in our homes.
Today we recognise the achievements of 36 Queenslanders who are proud advocates of this tradition, and have brought distinction to themselves and to St John Ambulance, as living examples of a phrase that I know you are all very familiar with - "First in First Aid" - to which one could add "first on the scene", and "first to assist" with "first class training". We thank them for their dedication, their commitment and their professionalism in providing the best of care for those who are not at their best.
I congratulate them all and I congratulate and thank everyone assembled here today for all you do.