It was “all on” during the school holidays as teams of St John Youth Cadets from across the country came together to battle it out in the annual National Youth Competitions.
This year, teams converged in Auckland in a bid to be crowned winners of the prestigious competitions that put first aid and communication skills to the test.
Hauraki Plains Youth Member, 17-year-old Makayla Holtham, was part of the Northern Region team, made up of 17 cadets from Waihī to Kaitaia.
The team spent six weekends training hard on their drill, first aid, and communications skills, both individually and working as a squad.
Makayla, who has been involved with the Youth Division in Ngatea since she was six-years-old, was joined by her mum and divisional manager, Marie Holtham, who was the contingent manager of the team.
Marie said the yearly festival was the “culmination of months of hard work and training”, and gave competitors the chance to showcase their abilities on a national stage.
“Over 48 hours, a series of team and individual competitions played out with elaborate set ups designed to mimic real life medical emergencies.
“This year, the drills included a simulated drowning, cardiac arrest, and motor vehicle crash as well as other everyday scenarios that Hato Hone St John responds to,” Marie said.
“Teams were given a set amount of time to assess the situation, make a decision on how to best proceed and treat the patients. They were carefully watched over by a group of eagle-eyed judges who assessed them on how well they collaborated and how accurately they chose to respond.”
The Northern Region, of which Makayla was a part of, took out the coveted Champion Region title for the first time in 12 years.
“It was incredible to win the supreme award of Champion Region, which is a combination of all our team and individual results,” Marie said. “It really showed the consistency across all the tests by the whole squad, and was a testament to how hard everyone in the squad has worked.”
According to Hato Hone St John national youth manager Kerry Mitchell, the cadets who competed represented “the pinnacle” of the programme.
“It’s difficult to regularly simulate real life medical emergencies and to create the same sense of urgency and skill that goes into assessing and treating patients, so this was a great opportunity to test their capabilities,” she said.
DETAILS: Hato Hone has Youth Divisions around the Hauraki-Coromandel area who meet weekly during term time to learn first aid, drill and life skills, as well as teamwork and leadership. For more info, email Marie at marie.holtham@stjohn.org.nz.
