The Priory in Australia
Who we are
St John Ambulance is Australia's leading provider of first aid training, first aid kits and first aid services at public events and in emergencies. St John Ambulance Australia also provides the ambulance services in Western Australia and the Northern Territory. St John Ambulance Australia delivers these services through over 12,500 volunteers and 350 paid staff.
St John Ambulance Australia began in Australia in 1883. It started by delivering first aid classes, with centres established rapidly across Victoria. South Australia followed in 1884 and Tasmania in 1887. NSW established its first centre in 1890, although some St John first aid classes had been taught previously in NSW. Western Australia followed in 1892. Queensland did not establish a centre until 1908, although a large number of St John first aid courses had run previously. ACT followed in 1940 and the Northern Territory in 1952.
St John Ambulance Australia started by delivering first aid courses to the general public. St John Ambulance Australia expanded into providing first aid services at public events through establishing the St John Ambulance Brigade. The first Brigade was established in 1901 in New South Wales. Perth followed in 1904 and then other states followed. The provision of first aid services is now undertaken by what is called Operations Branch or First Aid Services.
Australia at a glance
Australia is a large land mass with the majority of the 21 million people living near the coast in cities and large towns. The remainder of the population lives in small centres spread across the country. This highly distributed population presents significant challenges for delivery of health services, particularly ambulance and first aid services.
Australia was established in 1901 as a federation of six states: New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Tasmania, South Australia and Western Australia. Subsequently, two territories were established: Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory. Hence, Australia has eight state/ territory governments administering each jurisdiction and a national government. St John Ambulance Australia has established itself in all states and territories with all state/territory organisations work together to achieve the objectives of St John Ambulance Australia.
What we do
Australia is the leading provider of first aid training in Australia, with over 380,000 Australians obtaining a St John first aid certificate each year. There are a wide range of first aid courses available, designed to meet the needs of first aiders in the home, in workplaces and for specialist purposes. St John Ambulance Australia publishes many high quality publications to support its training programs. St John has developed a number of flexible learning options, using print, Cd-ROM and online technologies, to meet the first aid learning needs of Australians.
St John Ambulance Australia is the major provider of first aid kits and first aid equipment to Australian workplaces and to homes. St John continues to improve its first aid kits in response to customer requests. St John aims to have a first aid kit in every home and people trained to make the most effective use of those first aid kits.
St John Ambulance Australia runs a major project to install defibrillators in public access locations. The known is known as Project Heartstart Australia and has already resulted in defibrillators installed in airports, sporting stadiums, railway stations and other locations where significant numbers of Australians gather. The project has generated significant interest in installing defibrillators in workplaces and community locations.
St John is recognised throughout Australia by its 10,000 first aid volunteers, in their familiar black and white uniforms, who provide first aid coverage at public events and wherever crowds gather. St John ensures that these volunteers are well trained to deliver these services. St John provides over 1.4 million hours of voluntary service to the community and treats over 86,000 casualties each year.
St John Ambulance Australia has over 2,400 non-uniformed community care volunteers, providing friendship, reassurance, survival skills and literacy support programs to those in need. The St John community care programs have developed in different ways across Australia in response to the needs of the local community.
St John also runs one of the leading youth development programs in Australia. Over 3,600 Cadets (11-18 years) and over 700 Juniors (8-10 years) participate in its cadets program. It has established and actively supports youth councils in all states and territories as well as an Australian Youth Council to provide a voice for young people within St John. The Chair of the Australian Youth Council is a member of the National Board of Directors.
The St John Ophthalmic Branch raises funds to support the St John Eye Hospital in Jerusalem. The funds raised support several outreach nurses to provide ophthalmic services in the West bank and Gaza strip. The Branch also raises funds to support eye care programs in indigenous communities in Moree (New South Wales) and Katherine (Northern Territory). More recently, the branch has raised funds to support eye projects in Oecussi in East Timor.
St John Ambulance Australia runs the ambulance service in Western Australia and Northern Territory, providing critical response and non-emergency patient transport. The service is staffed by over 3,000 paid and volunteer ambulance officers and paramedics.