St John a friend in deed
St John ambulance officers are often the first at the scene of a tragedy. Hamish McNeilly went out on a Friday night shift with the paramedics in Dunedin last week.
St John
Lifeblood ebbs and flows
Lifeblood ebbs and flows
At the sound of a siren or pager alert, thousands of rural people drop everything to answer emergency calls, be it for a fire, car crash, medical emergency or lost tramper. Volunteers are the glue that keeps remote rural areas and larger regional urban centres together. Otago Daily Times reporters investigate the health of Otago's volunteer services.
Courses for free
Courses for free
In a bid to encourage people to volunteer for St John, free first aid courses are being offered potential volunteers in rural areas.
St John ambulance hire fee rise felt in the South
St John ambulance hire fee rise felt in the South
A 38% fee increase for non-emergency St John ambulance private hire trips is hitting the South especially hard because of vast distances to main hospitals, Aged Care Association Otago Southland board member Malcolm Hendry says.
St John to remain
St John to remain
St John has decided to retain a presence in the township, despite urgently needing more volunteers.
Service to St John recognised
Service to St John recognised
Lake Hawea man Ian Rae and Dunedin woman Shirley Hennessy have been awarded one of St John's highest honours.
Pair attain top St John Youth awards
Pair attain top St John Youth awards
The youth division of St John in Oamaru has two more recipients of the St John Youth's top award in its ranks.
St John cadets 'really competitive'
St John cadets 'really competitive'
About 50 ''absolutely competitive'' St John cadets patched up, resuscitated and comforted patients at the Alexandra Holiday Park yesterday during the St John Youth area competition.
St John Penguins relaunched
St John Penguins relaunched
St John Penguins (from left) Connor Buckland (7), Scott Duncan (8), Hamish Early (8) and Ayla Balona (7), with (from left) leader Claudia Faichney, senior cadet Laura Laurenson and Central Otago divisional youth manager Tania Haugh, relaunched the Penguins movement in the Wakatipu by popular demand on Tuesday.
St John volunteer honoured for her dedication
St John volunteer honoured for her dedication
Helping people in times of crisis and thinking on her feet to solve problems have kept Jeanette Anderson volunteering for St John for an extraordinary 27 years.
St John awards 'deserved'
St John awards 'deserved'
Queenstown Lakes Mayor Vanessa van Uden said awards presented to St John personnel at the annual Wakatipu awards ceremony on Friday night were ''well deserved''.
No lack of city St John volunteers
No lack of city St John volunteers
Dunedin's St John has more volunteers than it needs - a far cry from the situation facing St John's regional branches.
Appeal raises thousands
Appeal raises thousands
ASB Queenstown customer services officers Clare Boanas (left) and Kaylyn McBrearty (right) teamed up with St John Wakatipu Health Shuttle driver Claudia Faichney to collect much-needed cash from Coronet Peak visitors for St John at the start of the emergency service's nationwide appeal week last month.
Boat race part of appeal week
Boat race part of appeal week
St John staff and volunteers and their ASB supporters are hitting the streets and slopes of Queenstown as part of the service's national appeal week. Funds raised will go towards the St John Wakatipu health shuttle.
Balclutha: St John volunteers, staff recognised
Balclutha: St John volunteers, staff recognised
The long service and hard work of dozens of St John volunteers and paid staff was recognised in Balclutha on Friday night.
Volunteers the lifeblood
Volunteers the lifeblood
When the call goes out for help after an accident or medical emergency, St John is first to respond. However, as St John's workload grows, the pool of volunteers needed to help crew ambulances...
Wakatipu health shuttle could face axe
Wakatipu health shuttle could face axe
The St John Wakatipu health shuttle is at risk of being axed, just six months after it was launched, if more people do not use it to attend their medical appointments in Invercargill.
St John staff thanked for saving woman
St John staff thanked for saving woman
Ann Allen knew she was in trouble when she started choking on a piece of meat.
St John misses remote response target
St John misses remote response target
More than half the patients needing an ambulance in remote Otago areas were left waiting longer than the St John Ambulance Service response time target of 25 minutes, figures from St John show.
Back on familiar ground
Back on familiar ground
Kelvin Perriman had to contend with a a skifield accident and a three-vehicle crash at Arrow Junction in his first few days in charge of St John Queenstown at the beginning of this month.