St John Ambulance SA Inc. Annual Report 2019-2020

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St John Ambulance Australia SA Inc Annual Report 2019/20

STATE SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT

Emergency Preparedness

Youth Development

2019/20 has certainly presented us with a range of exciting opportunities, as well as a number of challenges brought about largely by the COVID-19 pandemic. Whilst no one could have predicted such an event on a global scale, I am proud of how our members rose to the challenge and kept service to the South Australian community at the forefront of their minds. Despite the uncertainty in the world and in our own community, particularly in the events space that our volunteers are synonymous with, adult and youth members alike kept up with online training and virtual meetings to ensure that they remained skilled and ready to respond to community needs. We were fortunate to have plenty of events to keep us busy in the first three quarters of the year. Of particular note were the Royal Adelaide Show, Triple J’s One Night Stand concert, Schoolies, and Adelaide 500. The Royal Adelaide Show saw St John volunteers cover an enormous 559 event shifts and treat 474 clinical patients and 650 non-clinical patients. Triple J’s One Night Stand concert took 30 volunteers to Lucindale – our largest regional deployment in three years. Schoolies and Adelaide 500 were once again busy events, with hundreds of clinical and non-clinical treatments. Despite events being cancelled almost in their entirety from March, St John volunteers still attended 2,093 events and treated 19,575 patients; these numbers highlight the profound impact our Event Health Services teams have on community health and safety. It was not just event hours that kept our volunteers busy though – 24,566 hours were spent on training to ensure clinical skills and first aid best practice were maintained at all times. Additionally, 77,509 administration and support hours were contributed to help our volunteer programs and deployments run smoothly, which is an invaluable service to make our community work possible. Further volunteer divisions received fleet upgrades to modernise and improve their existing Mobile First Aid Units, and St John Centre refurbishments continued, with Prospect and Woodville Centres receiving outstanding updates to give volunteers new and improved facilities. Event Health and Medical Services

As part of their ongoing training, St John volunteers prepare to support the community in times of State Emergency or disaster, namely providing assistance to SA Ambulance Service under the Ambulance & First Aid Functional Service – First Aid Functional Group, as part of the State Emergency Management Plan. During a year that has involved such difficult circumstances for the South Australian community and times of State Emergency, the skills and services of St John volunteers have been needed more than ever. Throughout the devastating summer bushfires, our members covered shifts 24/7 for weeks on end to support the health and wellbeing of firefighters and locals on the frontline of the fires. Harrowing stories rose from the ashes, both from those in the line of fire and also the St John volunteers that were there to help those most affected. I would like to personally thank each and every member who selflessly gave of their time and expertise to help others through such a difficult time. No sooner had we begun to regroup from the fires when a global pandemic was announced. Once again, our resilient cohort of volunteers stood ready to put the health and safety of the South Australian community first. From temperature screening and patient transport to assisting at COVID-19 testing locations, St John volunteers provided on the ground support to SA Ambulance Service, SA Health and various corporate organisations to keep SA safe. We were very fortunate in SA to have avoided many of the devastating consequences of this pandemic seen in other areas, and I thank all the St John volunteers who played a part in the state’s excellent response to the public health crisis. All St John Ambulance SA members were given the opportunity to contribute to the development of the next Strategic Plan that will guide the organisation’s activities through to 2025. It was fantastic to see so many volunteers actively engaged in the process, sharing their thoughts and feedback and providing constructive ideas that will propel St John forward in the years to come. I look forward to the implementation of the Strategic Plan in the coming financial year. Member Engagement in St John SA Strategy

State Cadet Competitions went ahead once more in August 2019. While the National Competitions unfortunately could not be held due to the bushfires in New South Wales and Regional Competitions unable to be held due to COVID-19, the State Competitions were still a wonderful opportunity for our young people to put their months of training and skill development to the test. At the October 2019 Awards Day, we also celebrated a number of our youth members as they received various awards to recognise their achievements and contributions to St John. Well done to Junior of the Year, Ziyuan Bian, Cadet of the Year, Hannah Broadbent, and Youth Leader of the Year, Jasmine Lanzilli. Grand Prior’s Badges were also received by Jayda Addleton, Taylor Bayly, Kate Green and Rebekah North. Finalists in the Bendigo Bank Youth Leadership Award included Taylor Bayly, Tyrene Gardiner and Emily Hawke. Congratulations to all of you and thank you for everything you do for St John. Additionally, Tyrene Gardiner from the Port Lincoln Cadet Division was named a finalist in the 7NEWS Young Achiever Awards. Tyrene was recognised for his contributions to the Port Lincoln community through volunteering with St John and fundraising to install a public access defibrillator in the local shopping centre. Congratulations on this significant achievement, Tyrene. 2019/20 has certainly been a year that we will not forget anytime soon. As we look to the year ahead of us, I am excited for the opportunities that await to extend our positive community impact and continue to steer St John Ambulance SA into an innovative organisation at the forefront of Event Health and Medical Services. Thank you to all the volunteers who selflessly give of their time for the benefit of the community, and the team of staff and Board members who provide support and guidance to allow the organisation to grow and evolve and better serve South Australians.

Stepping into the role of State Superintendent at the end of the financial year has been a fantastic challenge and privilege. I am thrilled to be taking on this opportunity within St John SA and have already been enjoying working with members to create an even better volunteer experience. I would also like to thank outgoing State Superintendent, Ian McGeachie, for his dedicated service and excellent leadership during his time in the role.

Melissa Oudshoorn MStJ

State Superintendent