Hato Hone St John celebrated a number of its staff and volunteers on Saturday with an investiture service, welcoming them into the Order of St John. Ten of those acknowledged were from the Hauraki and Coromandel districts, with one recognised as a commander, three promoted to officer, and six admitted as members. Their admittance into the Order was due to their exceptional efforts and services to the community and St John.
The Order of St John has its roots in a 900 year old hospital in Jerusalem, and has been established in New Zealand since 1885. The charitable organisation runs all of the ambulance services in NZ with the exception of Wellington Free Ambulance. It also has a number of health-related functions within the community, including running op shops, hospital transportation services, providing first aid at events, visiting people in hospital, calling vulnerable members of society, providing first aid courses and community defibrillators, and running a number of youth and community programmes.
By ALICE PARMINTER, Public Interest Journalism funded by NZ on Air
