St John is so much more than an ambulance at the bottom of a cliff, as Rosie Manins discovered recently while shadowing paid and volunteer Dunedin members for a day.
Ambulance officers
Of those lucky enough not to require St John services, few understand the many ways in which its paid and volunteer members contribute to the community each day.
Just 1700 of the 10,000 adult New Zealanders involved with St John are paid for their time and expertise.
Whether paramedics, hospital hosts or cadet leaders, St John members get satisfaction from taking care of those in need.
Malcolm Johnston, operational team manager at St John Dunedin, said there was a common thread among members despite their varied backgrounds, experience and roles.
"We are all passionate about what we do and we all have a sense of humour. Black humour is alive and well - and necessary - in the job," he said.
A top paramedic, Mr Johnston oversees the operation of ambulance services from St John's central Dunedin headquarters in York Place.
He said that during each 12-hour shift (7am-7pm and 7pm-7am), two ambulance crews, each with two qualified paramedics, operated out of Dunedin seven days a week.
A typical shift involved between five and 10 "jobs" for each crew, he said.
As well as two ambulances, a patient transfer service operated out of Dunedin at all times.
An ambulance operated from Hillside full-time, and another from Mosgiel.
On average, about 85% of ambulance callouts were for medical incidents (shortness of breath, chest pain, seizures etc) and the rest were classed as trauma (vehicle crashes, accidents etc).
In Dunedin, the majority of patients were elderly and most lived in the city's southern suburbs.
Monica Aarsen, a permanent paid St John paramedic and operational team leader, said she had been with the organisation about 10 years since starting as a volunteer in Mosgiel.
She loved the job and its unpredictability.
"For me, personally, the best part of the job is not knowing what you are going to do each day. It is the variety and challenge of the different things you get presented with," she said.
Fellow paramedic and emergency medical technician Kirsty Mann, who started volunteering with St John in Queenstown about six years ago, appreciated being able to make a difference in people's lives.
"We meet people under bad circumstances for them and, hopefully, something we can do improves their day," she said.
Hospital hosts
Even at Dunedin Hospital, St John volunteers fill an important and valued role.
At the main entrance, in the emergency department and on various wards they help visitors, patients and staff alike.
Hospital hosts are stationed in the main foyer between 9am and 4pm Monday to Friday, to show people how to get to different departments, to assist with general inquiries, or just to keep waiting spouses company.
If you need someone to hold your flowers while you go to the toilet, to explain the layout of the radiology department or point you in the direction of a cafeteria, St John hospital hosts are willing, knowledgeable and able.
Pat Daniels and Jean Stephen, both of Dunedin, together cover a four-hour shift as hospital hosts once a week.
Both are retired and have been through the hospital system, so know how confusing it can be.
Many out-of-towners walked through the doors at Dunedin Hospital in need of advice about simple things like parking, accommodation and florist services, Mrs Stephen said.
Some were disoriented and upset, and found it difficult to find hospital departments for their medical appointments.
"I've been asked where the nearest particular bank or church was, where to get cards and whether a wheelchair was available.
"If you can help people, that's what it is all about," Mrs Stephen said.
Anne Gawn, of Mosgiel, volunteered for St John as a "friend of the emergency department" (FED).
She is one of about 10 founding members who still cover shifts at the hospital throughout the working week.
Mrs Gawn said her primary role involved making sure waiting patients were comfortable.
She made cups of tea, fetched blankets, talked to those without company and sometimes made beds.
Other St John volunteers help in the oncology department and the children's unit.
Shuttle drivers
On the road, St John helps those in need from Otago's rural areas.
Last November, a hospital shuttle service began transporting people from Central Otago to and from Dunedin Hospital for medical appointments.
The Cromwell-based shuttle takes up to nine passengers on daily runs from Monday to Friday, leaving Cromwell about 7.30am and arriving in Dunedin about 11am.
It leaves Dunedin about 3pm, finishing in Cromwell early in the evening.
Passengers have to book a seat by 3pm the day before, and times are flexible enough to suit the needs of those using the free service.
People can be picked up and dropped off at certain points in Cromwell, Alexandra, Roxburgh and Lawrence on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
The Tuesday and Thursday service goes through Alexandra, Omakau and Ranfurly.
St John South Island community care manager Pam Hall, of Dunedin, said routes were also flexible depending on the number and needs of passengers.
Each person travelling for a medical appointment at Dunedin could be accompanied by a support person, she said.
The service was for non-urgent medical cases only, and was used by people for all sorts of reasons.
"Some people can't drive or don't want to drive that far. Most of the passengers are aged 60 years or older." The shuttle occasionally took people to Mercy Hospital in Dunedin and, on average, was used by about 50 passengers each month.
Four Square provided funding for the set-up costs but St John relied on donations to continue the service, Mrs Hall said.
On each trip, two St John volunteers trained in first aid drove the shuttle.
About 25 volunteers, mostly from Cromwell and Alexandra, took turns, each working about once a fortnight.
"It's proved to be a great service and we are grateful for any donations to keep it going," she said.
Life members
Having served almost six decades with St John, Otago and Southland area committee relationship manager Darrel Robinson, of Dunedin, knows more than most about the organisation.
He became a cadet aged 11 and spent seven years gaining accreditation through the youth programme.
Mr Robinson (68) was awarded the grand prior, became a cadet sergeant, leader and superintendent, then entered the adult uniformed brigade.
In 1965, he started a 15-year stint as a volunteer ambulance officer and, following a significant review of the organisation in 1987, he became chairman of the St John Dunedin area committee.
He served in regional administration for Otago and Southland, then in 1996 was an integral member of the new regional trust board for six months before becoming its chairman.
Mr Robinson was chairman until 2005, when he got the job of area committee relationship manager.
An engineer by trade, he was not paid for his involvement in St John until 2006.
He looks after the 24 district committees in Otago and Southland, helping with community projects.
St John had become more uniform in its operation and branding throughout the country, he said.
Training for ambulance paramedics had intensified with the changing of their role from drivers to medical specialists, and while St John was improved by technology, its underlying principles remained the same, he said.
"It's about service to your community and is a way to meet a range of other people. It's a feeling of giving back to an organisation where the ethos is the same as your own."
Caring callers
Perhaps the most hands-off St John service is its caring caller programme, which anonymously pairs volunteer callers with people who benefit from regular and consistent communication.
The dozen Dunedin people on St John's list include those living alone or with limited mobility who do not often venture into the community.
Every few days or once a week, their caller rings to see how they are and engage in general discussion.
Callers and recipients never meet, do not know each other's surnames or addresses and are encouraged to keep their relationship uncomplicated.
After a while, most become great friends, despite the boundaries.
The service operates throughout New Zealand and gives almost anyone, regardless of age or physical mobility, the chance to volunteer.
Callers undergo a background check for safety reasons before being paired with a recipient.
Some make calls to more than one person, and even a woman in her nineties managed to give something back to the community as a caring caller.
The service was established in Dunedin about two years ago.
Cadet leaders
Although few people are aware St John has a youth programme, it has been training young New Zealanders for more than eight decades.
In the Dunedin area, there are five youth divisions, in addition to those at Mosgiel and Balclutha.
Children aged 6 to 8 years form the St John Penguins, and those between 8 and 18 years become cadets.
St John's youth programme operates similarly to those of guides and scouts, with badges collected on completion of various components.
Difficulty levels separate cadets by age, and those who earn a certain number of badges at the highest level are awarded the grand prior prize.
Once a cadet turns 18, they are considered a St John adult and can volunteer as a youth leader, teaching the skills they have mastered.
As well as first aid, cadets learn practical life skills, including money management and meal planning.
They are also taught basic principles of St John, including community assistance and healthcare.
Youth district manager and Mosgiel division manager Glenys Riach said she was not aware St John's youth programme existed until a friend suggested her daughter Danielle become a cadet.
Mrs Riach first became the Mosgiel division manager and eventually took the district's six other divisions under her wing.
Penguins and cadets were taught sign language, sickness warning signs, how to call for an ambulance and what to do in emergencies, she said.
"You've got to keep it interesting for them."
Drill practice also formed discipline and developed respect, Mrs Riach said.
"I've seen so many kids come when they are little and shy, but by the time they get to the gold level, they've gained so much confidence," she said.
In the wider Dunedin district, there are about 150 youth members, and many more who go through the programme to become adult volunteers or paid St John employees.
Danielle Riach (20) became a cadet at 11 years of age, gained the grand prior in 2008 and became assistant manager of the Mosgiel division.
She said she hoped to become an ambulance paramedic as well as a nurse.
Fellow Mosgiel youth leader Alanah Harwood (18) also wanted to be a St John ambulance paramedic.
"There are so many avenues you can go down with St John, and it's something I really enjoy," she said.
