St John Ambulance SA Inc. Annual Report 2019-2020

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St John Ambulance Australia SA Inc Annual Report 2019/20

CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S REPORT

Prior to my appointment, Steve Yeo (General Manager Corporate and Commercial) and Ray Creen acted in the Chief Executive Officer role, providing much-needed leadership and support. Thank you Steve and Ray for stepping up during this time and making the transition into my new role that much easier. My first six months as Chief Executive Officer saw us through to the end of the 2019/20 financial year and tasked with leading the organisation as the COVID-19 pandemic hit – something that was unchartered territory for all of us. I am extremely proud of the way everyone within St John SA rallied together to continue to support the South Australian community and each other. Volunteers quickly transitioned to online ways to meet and attend divisional training, while staff embraced working from home. We all found unique ways to remain connected with each other while continuing our purpose of supporting the South Australian community, even – in fact, especially – in such challenging times. When reflecting on the origins of our organisation, I am reminded of the first Crusades, when the Knights of St John would care for the sick and injured, and I see this same mindset amongst our current-day volunteers. From providing temperature screening and patient transport to supporting SA Health at COVID-19 testing locations, our volunteers have continued to care for the South Australian community during this global health crisis. Beyond our Event Health Services cohort, our Community Care volunteers also adapted their service provision and remained in contact with their clients through regular phone calls, tech-tutorials to set up video calling with loved ones, and when it was safe to do so, socially distanced visits with infection control procedures in place. Our youth members took the new virtual reality in their stride and adapted activities and skill development modules to suit the new mode of learning. With our lives turned upside down by a global pandemic, it is hard to believe that the devastating bushfires of summer 2019/20 occurred within this same year. Once again our Event Health Services volunteers did not hesitate to step up to their role within the State Emergency Management Plan and support those most in need. Shifts were covered 24-hours a day for the duration of the State Emergency with volunteers providing first aid support to firefighters on the frontline and to locals across the bushfire-affected regions. The last financial year was definitely a challenging one, but it highlighted the incredible resilience of the South Australian community. It was not without its high points, however, with St John launching its inaugural Christmas Home Lottery, which was a resounding success. We were extremely grateful to all the South Australians that showed their support for St

John SA through this exciting fundraising opportunity. Over 28,000 prizes were given away and the all-important $2.8 million grand prize made the lucky winner’s Christmases all come at once – literally on Christmas Day! We were fortunate to once again receive support from new and ongoing corporate partners. Of particular note was our new partnership with Drakes, which saw them donate $100,000 to St John and greatly benefit our volunteer and community programs. The conclusion of the 2019/20 financial year also marked the completion of our 3-year project with the Australian Hotels Association|SA and Clubs SA, Every Heartbeat Matters. A staggering 312 public access defibrillators have been installed at pubs and clubs around regional and remote South Australia through this initiative. Whilst we hope these defibrillators will not be required, we are comforted by the fact that should an emergency arise, isolated South Australians now have much greater access to lifesaving equipment. Our community impact was also made possible by our amazing cohort of over 1,000 first aid volunteers who attended 2,093 community events even after nearly all events were cancelled in the final quarter of 2019/20 due to COVID-19 restrictions. With more than 75,000 volunteer hours contributed, this equated to a value of $4,524,116. The true impact our volunteers have when caring for a sick or injured person and especially when saving a life, cannot be quantified with a dollar value. I am sure that the 19,575 patients treated by St John Event Health Services volunteers would all agree that you cannot put a value on the impact these special people have. Furthermore, over 300 Community Care volunteers provided companionship, connection and social support to some 371 clients. The fantastic feedback received from clients and their families is a testament to the services provided by our Community Care volunteers and the team of staff members that work so hard to uphold this exceptional standard of service. While our usual commercial revenue was significantly reduced due to COVID-19 restrictions around first aid training, we were extremely grateful to be able to continue our volunteer programs and community support, thanks to the positive result from the 2019 Lottery. Despite the financial challenges brought about by the pandemic, we stand hopeful with a recovery strategy taking us into the new financial year. We will always put our people and our charitable works first, so that we can continue our vital community support. To this end, we are developing our new Strategic Plan, which will direct the organisation for the next five years. I am excited by the highly collaborative nature

of this plan, which has seen input from all aspects of St John and allowed everyone in the organisation to contribute and have their say about its future direction.

At the mid-way point of the 2019/20 financial year, I was fortunate enough to join the St John Ambulance SA team as Chief Executive Officer. I am excited to have joined such a fantastic organisation whose purpose is to serve the community through vital first aid and social support services.

As we look ahead at what possibilities await us in the 2020/21 financial year, I see enormous potential for growth on many levels. I look forward to welcoming new recruits into each of our volunteer programs and fostering diversity amongst our members, expanding the reach and scope of our first aid training through innovative means, building on our existing community support efforts, further developing our emergency management capability, and investing in new strategies to further the mission and vision of our charitable work. I would like to thank each and every person who has contributed to the current position of St John SA. From our Community Care volunteers, operational Event Health Services volunteers and non-operational members, to those in our Youth Development program, our Board of Directors and paid staff members; thank you for your invaluable contributions. You make our organisation what it is and I look forward to working with you all to create a stronger and more resilient St John SA with even greater community impact.

Mark Groote Chief Executive Officer