St John Ambulance SA Inc. Annual Report 2020-21

It is my absolute pleasure to provide a report on the activities of St John SA over the past twelve months. And what a twelve months it has been! The past two years have been unlike anything our generation has experienced, and while we continue to live with the impact and disruption of COVID-19, I’m encouraged to see the way in which our One St John has worked together to deliver such a strong impact in our community. I am proud of our organisation and everyone within it for contributing to a successful 2020/21, and weathering the volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity of living in a COVID-19 environment. Staff, volunteers and members have rallied together to continue to support the South Australian community and each other, with volunteers adapting to online methods of meeting and attending divisional training, while staff embraced working from home (often with very little notice). We all managed to find flexible ways to remain connected while continuing to support each other. Our volunteers have continued to care for the South Australian community during this global health crisis including our Event Health Service volunteers who provided coverage at events while also assisting with COVID-19 related activities. Our Community Care volunteers adapted their service provision and remained in contact with their clients through regular phone calls, video calling with loved ones, and when it was safe to do so, socially distanced visits. 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. This past year reinforces that St John SA volunteers really are a remarkable cohort of dedicated professionals. Our valuable community impact for 2020/21 was made possible by our incredible team of over 597 first aid volunteers who attended 2,123 community events and contributed more than 49,000 volunteer hours. What we do in caring for sick and injured people of the South Australian community cannot be measured simply with a dollar value. The 16,854 patients treated by St John SA Event Health Services volunteers cannot fully quantify the impact our volunteers have on people’s day-to- day lives. CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S REPORT

Additionally, our over 300 Community Care volunteers provided connection and social support through companionship to almost 400 clients. I continue to receive positive feedback from our Community Care clients and their families - testimony to the services provided by our volunteers and the team of St John SA staff who work tirelessly to uphold this incomparable standard of service to the elderly and those at risk of social isolation within the South Australian community. The conclusion of the 2020/21 financial year also marked the completion of St John’s three-year project with the Australian Hotels Association SA and Clubs SA – Every Heartbeat Matters. An amazing 312 public access defibrillators have been installed at pubs and clubs around regional and remote South Australia through this initiative. Whilst I hope these defibrillators will not be required, I am comforted by the fact that should an emergency arise, isolated South Australians now have much greater access to lifesaving equipment. It is also encouraging to see the development within our property strategy, with 2020/21 seeing the near completion of our Noarlunga centre, incorporating spaces for operational and Community Care volunteers and clients to meet and engage. Scoping is also underway for the refurbishment of our Playford Division; a welcomed refresh for all volunteers who occupy this space. We also continued to receive wonderful support from our corporate partners, including our 2020/21 Presenting Partner, Drakes Supermarkets. This support had far-reaching benefits, helping us support our ongoing charitable work within the SA community. We continued our partnership with Freemasons SA & NT, enabling lifesaving skills of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to be taught for free to 2,000 people through a three year, $600,000 grant. This partnership helps fulfil St John SA’s mission to ensure the wellbeing of all South Australians. Our annual Charity Golf Day is growing year-on-year and is a great example of how we continue to strengthen our mission and vision in the community. The 2020 Golf Day in November raised funds for our First Aid in Schools initiative, allowing us to train 1,826 students in First Aid, with 2,283 hours of training administered. I am extremely grateful to all of our sponsors and partners who share in our mission and vision and contribute to saving lives in South Australia. The St John SA Christmas Home and Lifestyle Lottery was a huge success for Christmas 2020. My thanks goes to all South Australians who purchased a ticket and showed their support through this exciting fundraising opportunity.