St John Ambulance SA Ltd Annual Report 2024-25

aid training certificates to members of the public last year. These people all contribute to our community resilience and emergency preparedness – the value of which cannot be overstated. These achievements reflect not only the dedication of our volunteers and staff but also the crucial support we receive from donors, sponsors, and the many South Australians who choose St John for training, equipment, and event health and medical services. Your support directly enables us to deliver on our mission and to build safer, stronger communities. As the Chair of the St John Federal Council – the national group of all CEOs and Board Chairs from across St John in Australia – it has also been rewarding to witness the development and rollout of national endeavours, such as the Brand Unity Initiative, which will see harmony of many brand assets across all St John jurisdictions in Australia. On behalf of the Board, I also wish to acknowledge outgoing CEO, Mark Groote, for his leadership throughout his tenure, and thank Interim CEO, Maree Geraghty, who commenced in March 2025, and has been providing guidance and support to the organisation during this leadership transition. Our Executive team, together with our wider staff team and volunteers, ensure that St John Ambulance SA remains trusted, relevant, and ready to support the community whenever and wherever we are needed. Looking ahead, St John Ambulance SA is well placed to build on these achievements. With strong foundations, committed people, and the continued backing of the community, we are ready to meet the challenges of the future while remaining steadfast in our vision of creating a safe, supported, engaged and resilient South Australian community. Thank you to everyone who has been part of this journey in the past year. Together, we continue to make a lasting difference.

“Thank you to everyone who has been part of this journey in the past year. Together, we continue to make a lasting difference.”

introduction of a one-day First Aid for Mental Health course in our public first aid training suite. The scale of contribution across the organisation this year has also been remarkable. Our Health and Medical Services volunteers and staff covered 1,700 events and emergencies, including the Royal Adelaide Show, WOMAdelaide, Schoolies, the Vailo Adelaide 500, and major fixtures at Adelaide Oval. 27,799 volunteer duty hours were contributed at events, and another 26,239 hours were dedicated to training, as well as a staggering 20,189 administration and support hours to keep things running behind the scenes. An invaluable 13,970 Community Cares volunteer hours were also provided. When we consider the value of volunteering, we can look to the Volunteering SA/ NT volunteering dollar replacement hourly rate figure for South Australia. This sees our total volunteering contribution valued at $3.6 million for the last financial year alone. This highlights what a profound impact St John volunteers have on the community. Another vital impact we have in the community is through our first aid training. This empowers South Australians with the skills and knowledge to assist a friend, colleague, family member, or passerby in times of need or even emergency. To this end, I am pleased to report that we issued 40,618 first

St John Ambulance SA

Mary Patetsos AM Chair of the Board

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