A rose bred specially to commemorate St John's 125th anniversary was presented to three Queenstown residents this week to recognise the contributions they, and the community, have made to St John Wakatipu.
The rose, named Luminis, Latin for light, is a clear white cup-shaped flower with gold stamens, bred by renowned rosarian Bob Matthews, of Wanganui.
On Monday, St John Southern Region Trust Board member Pauline Beattie presented a rose each to Sir Eion Edgar and Jim Boult, and three roses were given to mayor Vanessa van Uden as a representative of the wider community.
Sir Eion received the rose on behalf of the Central Lakes Trust, which had provided invaluable funding to the organisation over many years.
Grants had helped to provide ambulances, defibrillators and building support for St John, which was not a "self-sufficient ambulance service", she said.
Sir Eion said the trust received an "enormous amount" of requests every year, but St John always received a "big tick".
"The work you do ... is outstanding."
Mr Boult received the rose for his work in constructing the Frankton site, under time and under budget in 2000.
"St John in Queenstown, as I remember it ... had a little two-storeyed shed over by the camping ground," Mrs Beattie said.
"We know that Queenstown and the whole Wakatipu basin has exploded population-wise and the services have had to expand to meet that need.
"Jim Boult came along as the fundraising chairman for St John and got the project done.
"It was April 30, 2000 when they turned the first sod, and they had the keys in November."
Mr Boult said after the building project he "happily left" St John with "some hundreds of thousands in the bank".
"Raising money for St John is quite satisfying. One day, you might just be in the back of one of those vans and you might be feeling like you needed to pay your way," he said.
Ms van Uden, who is also a member of the St John Wakatipu committee, received three roses, which would be planted in the Queenstown Gardens.
She said the organisation had always had a "special place in the Queenstown Lakes District Council's heart" and Mrs Beattie could rest assured the two organisations would continue to have a "long and fruitful relationship".
Mrs Beattie said the sale of other roses would provide financial assistance for the St John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital.
