Erne, 35 Knockbracken Healthcare Park,Saintfield Road, Belfast, BT8 8RA

Telephone: 028 9079 9393Fax: 028 9079 3303

E-mail: districthq@ni.sja.org.ukWebsite: www.ni.sja.org.uk

Office Hours: Monday-Friday 8.30 am to 4.30 pm.At other times, an answering machine is in operation.

The Commandery of Ards

A charitable company limited by guarantee

Whilst every effort is made to provide totally accurate information, no responsibility is takenfor inaccuracies and omissions contained herein.

Welcome from the Knight Commander ............................................ 4

Chairman’s Report .................................................................................... 7

Order of St John ........................................................................................ 9

Grand Council of the Order .................................................................. 16

Priory of England and the Islands ...................................................... 17

Commandery of Ards .............................................................................. 19

Commandery Chapter .............................................................................. 23

Commandery Officer ReportsTreasurer’s Report ...................................................................... 25Hospitaller’s Report .................................................................... 26Director (Training)’s Report .................................................... 28Commissioner’s Report ............................................................ 29Librarian’s Report........................................................................ 33

Commandery Roll...................................................................................... 34

St John Ambulance (NI).......................................................................... 44

Trustees of St John Ambulance (NI) .................................................. 46

St John Ambulance Training ................................................................ 48

St John Ambulance Safeguarding........................................................ 50

St John Ambulance OperationsDistrict Staff .................................................................................. 51Northern Area................................................................................ 53Eastern Area .................................................................................. 67Southern Area................................................................................ 80Western Area.................................................................................. 89

St John Fellowship .................................................................................... 98

Dr Muriel Frazer - Centenarian............................................................ 102

NI District Competitions, 2011 ................................................ 103

International Women’s Day ...................................................... 104

Eye Hospital Celebration.......................................................... 113

Short History of the Order of St John ...................................... 114

Contents

3

Having accepted the role of Knight Commander in successionto His Honour John McKee, and having been installed in theoffice by the Prior of England and the Islands, Rodney GreenEsq, on 18 May 2011, I look forward to my new duties andresponsibilities. Although this special role is new to me, I amno stranger to the world of St John, having first acceptedmembership of the Order in 1997 following my appointmentas Lord Lieutenant for County Down. Over the years I havewatched in awe the many St John Ambulance volunteers whohave been rewarded by the Order for their individual serviceto humanity. I now feel privileged to serve the Order and youin this prestigious role.

A dinner was held to mark the retirement of His Honour JohnMcKee. The Lieutenant paid eloquent tribute to the six years

of dedicated service and commitment which my predecessor gave not just to theCommandery but to the wider Order.

Already in my capacity as Knight Commander, I attended our annual Service ofRededication on 12 June in First Omagh Presbyterian Church, led by Rev Dr Gordon Gray.We were honoured to have amongst our guests the Lord Lieutenant of County Tyrone,members of the Sovereign Military Order and members of the St John Ambulance Brigadeof Ireland. All braved the torrential rain to witness the blessing of a number of excellentambulances from Divisions in Newry, Newtownards and Magherafelt. The following weekI attended the St John Ambulance Brigade of Ireland Service in Dublin Castle, followed byattendance at the Priory Service of Rededication in St Paul’s Cathedral.

Many of us also attended the Mid Summer reception hosted by the Hospitaller in All SaintsParish Church Hall, Hillsborough on 21 June. At his last event in office, Mr Robin Eyre -Maunsell again demonstrated his superb organizational skills in bringing together a feast ofmusical talent and entertainment, with the proceeds gifted to our Eye Hospital.

The period before my installation was also busy. On 14 March the Priory Hospitaller,Colonel Sheenah Davies, attended a lunch in Malone House to mark the 100th Anniversaryof International Women’s Day, and more especially to acknowledge the charitablecontributions made by our own St John women over the years. That same evening the leadmanager of the St John Carer Support Programme, Mrs Julie MacDermott, who hadtravelled from Dorset, presented a summary of the Programme at Erne to an audience mostlyof health care professionals. On 2 April a lunch was held in Belfast Castle to mark thecontribution of the many presidents who do so much to promote the work of St JohnAmbulance. Mr Albert Smallwood, the retiring District President, was present and spokeabout some of the highlights of his long service with St John.

The Fellowship has also been active. Over thirty members gathered in the War MemorialBuilding in Talbot Street on 7 May. They were enthralled by Major John Potter’s account ofthe blitz on Belfast in 1941. Mr John Hughes and Mrs Isobel Lapsley made a jointpresentation on the St John Ambulance Brigade Hospital in Etaples during WW1.

Our Cadet of the Year, Nadia Workman, was in attendance with the Lord Lieutenant forBelfast, Dame Mary Peters, when she laid the wreath on the Cenotaph at the City Hall onRemembrance Day, 11 November 2010.

Throughout the period, the Commandery Ladies Committee organized two events whichraised considerable funds for the Order. I am most grateful to the ladies, especially theChairperson, Mrs Liz Shanks.

A reception was hosted at Erne on 19 November 2010 by His Honour John McKee torecognize and celebrate the achievements of the volunteers. Next day at Erne a training dayfor commercial first aid trainers was held when Mr Fred Evans from Humberside presentedhighlights from the national St John marketing campaign ‘the Difference’.

On 2 October 2010 a Service of Celebration and Thanksgiving for 50 years’ service of theSt John Eye Hospital in Sheikh Jarrah was held in Jerusalem. This was attended by HisHonour John McKee and Mr C T Hogg. They carried the good wishes of the Commanderyand their hosts thanked the Commandery most warmly for the financial contribution whichwas used to fund the modernization of the front hall of the Hospital and enhancements to ITtechnology. The Knight Commander reminded the audience that it was one of hispredecessors, Lord Wakehurst, who had opened the hospital in 1960.

A letter of good wishes was sent to HRH Prince William on the occasion of his marriage toMiss Kathleen Middleton. A suitable reply was received.

These are early days for me in office but already I am experiencing immense loyalty andsupport from all those that I meet, whether they be members, volunteers or staff. As we lookforward to 2012, our diamond anniversary year, it is my sincere wish that together we willbuild on the work of those who have gone before to fulfil the mottoes of the Order namely:For the Faith and in the Service of Humanity. For my part I am happy to accept thechallenges that the future may bring and look forward to meeting as many volunteers aspossible during my term.

Sir William HallKnight Commander

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Welcome from the Knight Commander

5

St John Ambulance

The objects of St John are to encourage the spiritual and moral strengthening of humanityand to encourage and promote the relief of persons in sickness, distress, suffering ordanger. For this purpose one of the specific sub-objects of St John is to maintain anddevelop St John Ambulance. The object of St John Ambulance is the relief of sicknessand the protection and preservation of public health. The vision for St John is that‘everyone who needs it should receive first aid from those around them. No oneshould suffer for the lack of trained first aiders’. In Northern Ireland St JohnAmbulance (NI) fulfils its objectives, within its powers as specified in the Memorandumand Articles of Association.

St John Fellowship

The St John Fellowship is open to all members who have served the Order and itsFoundations in any capacity, whether as volunteers, full-time or part-time staff andwhether still active or retired. The husbands and wives of members, as well as the friendsof St John, are welcome to join. There is no age limit to membership.

The Fellowship was formed on St John’s Day 1983. In 1987 the Grand Prior approvedits Charter and in 1994 Chapter-General formally approved its incorporation as apermanent branch of the Order. There are now 145 Branches in the UK, eight of whichare in Northern Ireland, and approximately 53 overseas.

The Fellowship exists to offer former members of St John an opportunity to continue toserve the Order and their local community, while keeping in touch with old friends. Inso doing they enjoy the best of clubs, where age is immaterial, and have the satisfactionof being of use to others.

In Northern Ireland a Fellowship Newsletter is published annually. This keeps membersin touch and informed of events of special intereSt

The yearly AGM of the National Fellowship is held in various locations in England. Thisis attended by members from England, the Channel Islands and from several of theNorthern Ireland Branches – here friendships are made and renewed.

Defence Medical Welfare Service

The Defence Medical Welfare Service (DMWS) has subsumed many of the functions ofthe former Joint Committee of the Order of St John of Jerusalem and the British RedCross Society.

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Other Orders of St John

There are other Orders which claim an historical association with St John but only theSovereign Military Order of Malta, the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St Johnof Jerusalem and the following Lutheran Orders are mutually recognised:

� The Johanniterorden, sometimes called the Bailiwick of Brandenburg, theLutheran descendent of the medieval tongue or langue of Germany, which wasreconstituted in 1852. Included are the four Commanderies of the Johanniterordenin Finland, France, Switzerland and Hungary.

� The Johanniter Orde in the Netherlands, which was part of the Bailiwick ofBrandenburg until 1909.

� The Johanniterorden in Sweden, which became a national Order in 1920, havingseceded from the Bailiwick of Brandenburg.

In 1961 a Convention of the Alliance of Orders of St John was formed by the MostVenerable Order and the three Lutheran Orders. In 1963 a Joint Declaration was signedby the Venerable Order and the Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM). In 1987,the four Alliance Orders and the SMOM exchanged mutual recognition. The AllianceOrders all operate independently but meet annually. There is practical co-operationbetween the Most Venerable Order and the SMOM at many levels.

Mottoes of the Order

Pro fide - For the Faith. The Lord preserve us in the number of the Faithful; the Lord grantus means and opportunity to do good, resolution to persevere, and grace to attain happily tothe blessed inheritance of Eternal Life: that like as charity hath united us on earth, so theDivine mercy, which is the help and support of love, may vouchsafe to unite us with Hisfaithful ones in Heaven, through the good gift of Jesus Christ our Lord, Who liveth andreigneth with the Father and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

Pro Utilitate Hominum - For the Service of Humanity. Let us pray God, through JesusChrist our Lord, that as we wear the sign of our Redemption so we may ever rememberin our lives that its four arms symbolise the Christian Virtues - Prudence, Temperance,Justice and Fortitude; that its points represent the eight Beatitudes which spring from thepractice of those Virtues; and that its whiteness is the emblem of that purity of liferequired in those who fight for the defence of the Christian Faith and live for the serviceof the poor and suffering. Amen.

The Four Virtues

The four arms of the St John Cross - as stated in Pro Utilitate Hominum - represent thefour virtues of Prudence, Temperance, Justice and Fortitude.

The Eight Beatitudes

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdomof heaven.

Matthew 5, vv. 3-10

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The Prior and Priory Senior Principal Officers

Prior Acting Chief CommanderRodney Green Esq M Messinger Esq LVO QPM

Chancellor DeanRobin Oake Esq QPM The Very Rev A Knight OBE

The Priory Principal Officers

Chief Treasurer Paul S Bussy Esq

Chief Medical Officer Lieutenant General L Lillywhite CB MBE

Chief Nursing Officer Vacant

Chief President The Hon Mrs Virginia Lovell JP DL

Hospitaller Colonel (Mrs) S B Davies RRC DL

Librarian Dr Alan Borg CBE

Genealogist Major W G Hunt TD

Director of Ceremonies Andrew Latham Esq

Chief Officer Volunteering Ian McKenzie Esq

Chief Officer Youth Mrs Daryl Perkins

Registrar The Revd Prof P Galloway OBE JP

FELLOWSHIP

Chairman, St John Fellowship Sir Godfrey Milton-Thompson KBE

EXECUTIVES

Chief Executive Ms S A Killen

Priory Secretary/CompanySecretary and General Counsel Gary Maydon Esq

Priory of England and the Islands

The Sovereign Head of the Order is HM The Queen. The Grand Prior is HRH The Dukeof Gloucester. The Grand Council of the Order comprises the four Great Officers, theeight Priors (or their representatives) and the Order Hospitaller.

Grand Prior

HRH The Duke of Gloucester KG GCVO

Great Officers

Lord PriorProfessor Anthony R Mellows OBE TD

PrelateThe Rt Rev Jack Nicholls

Deputy Lord PriorCaptain Sir Norman Lloyd-Edwards KCVO RD JP RNR

Sub PriorProfessor Villis Marshall AC

Priors

Prior of England and the IslandsRodney Green Esq

Prior of ScotlandSir Malcolm Ross GCVO OBE

Prior of WalesDan Clayton-Jones Esq OBE TD DL

Prior of South AfricaMajor Ian Allan Crowther JCD MBE

Prior of New ZealandHis Excellency The Right Honourable Sir Anand Satyanand GNZM QSO

Prior of CanadaVacant

Prior of AustraliaHE Ms Quentin Bryce AC

Prior of the United States of AmericaAlfred Marshall Acuff Jr Esq

Officers of the Order include

Hospitaller John F Talbot Esq

Secretary Rear Admiral Andrew Gough CBGeneral

Grand Council of the Order

16 17

The Commandery of Ards is a Dependent Commandery of the Priory of England and theIslands. It exercises on behalf of the Priory the general control and responsibility for thework of the Order in Northern Ireland.

The Commandery consists of all the members of the Order of St John who are normallyresident in Northern Ireland. It is governed under the Royal Charter, Statutes andRegulations of the Order, and the Rules of the Commandery of Ards.

The governing body of the Commandery is the Commandery Chapter. It holds itsmeetings and investitures in Hillsborough Castle.

The assets of the Commandery have been vested in St John Ambulance (NI), a charitablecompany limited by guarantee and recognized by the Inland Revenue as a charity. Thereare ten nominated Commandery Officers, six of whom serve on the Board of Trusteestogether with up to four persons appointed by the Chairman as lead trustees, threeindependents appointed by the Chairman and any person elected at the annual generalmeeting. Governance is delegated to that Board.

The relationship between the Priory, the Commandery and St John Ambulance (NI) isdefined in a Protocol agreed by the three parties.

The Commandery is administered from its headquarters at Erne in KnockbrackenHealthcare Park in Belfast.

Principal activities

The main activities undertaken under the auspices of the Commandery are:

� the running of courses in first aid, care and related subjects

� the provision of first aid and ambulance cover at public events

� financial assistance to the St John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital

� nominations to the Order

� the provision of a library and an archive.

Priory Headquarters

The Headquarters of the Priory, its Library and Museum are housed in St John's Gate,which used to be the main entrance to the Priory at Clerkenwell. St John's Gate is a fiveminute walk from Farringdon (Tube and Thameslink) trains.

Address: St John’s Gate, St John’s Lane, Clerkenwell, London, ECIM 4DA.Tel: 020 7324 4000.

Church, Museum and Library

The 16th century Grand Priory Church is situated to the north of St John's Square. Theinterior and roof were rebuilt after the church was bombed in 1941. The crypt is the onlyvisible part of the original Priory.

The Museum is open to the public from Monday to Friday from 10.00 am to 5.00 pm.On Saturday it is open from 10.00 am to 4.00 pm.

There is an Order Library and a St John Ambulance Library at St John's Gate. Anappointment can be arranged to consult books in either library.

The Museum shop stocks a range of books on Knights Hospitaller and the history of StJohn Ambulance, as well as souvenirs and selected products from St John Supplies.

Conducted tours of St John's Gate and the Priory Church take place at 11.00 am and 2.30pm on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Arrangements can be made for special tours atother times by ringing the Museum (020 7324 4005) in advance. Tours are free for StJohn Ambulance members.

St John Ambulance Headquarters

The National Headquarters of St John Ambulance is housed in purpose-built officesconnected to St John’s Gate in St John’s Lane.

Address: 27 St John’s Lane, Clerkenwell, London, EC1M 4BU. Tel: 020 7324 4000.Fax: 020 7324 4001. Website: www.sja.org.uk.

St John Supplies

Suppliers to St John Ambulance and to industry. Manufacturers and distributors of firstaid materials and training aids. Publishers of health care textbooks.

Address: McBeath House, 310 Goswell Road, London, EC1V 7LWDirect Order Line Tel: 020 7278 7888 (9.00 am – 5.00 pm)Fax Order Line Tel: 020 7837 1642E-mail customer-services@stjohnsupplies.co.ukWeb site www.stjohnsupplies.co.uk

Commandery of Ards

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Membership of the Order

Membership of the Order is conferred in recognition of work done in furthering itsobjects. Significant service rendered by members of the St John Ambulance may lead tomembership of the Order.

Recommendations for admission to, or promotion in, the Order may be made by theCommandery Officers and by Grade I or Grade II members. Recommendations, whichundergo intensive scrutiny, are submitted to The Queen for approval. New and promotedmembers are presented with their Order badges at investitures in Hillsborough Castle.

The Roll of Members of the Commandery of Ards, which consists of over four hundrednames, is maintained in the headquarters at Erne.

Deaths

Since the last Directory, the deaths of the following members on the Commandery Rollare recorded with deep regret and gratitude for their support to the Order and theCommandery of Ards:

Young, WilliamMcCullough, Miss Doreen OBE SRN SCMSchenau-Luke, Mrs Doreen AgnesWauchop, Mrs Mary GladysMillar, Herbert Andrew MBE

Insignia

Guidance on wearing of insignia is available from the headquarters at Erne. Members mayalso wish to note that any insignia no longer required, eg through promotion or on death,may be returned to the headquarters where they can be used to benefit the Commandery.

Library

The library contains some four hundred books and pamphlets about the history of theOrder. A catalogue is maintained at Erne and anyone wishing to have access to thecollection may arrange to do so during office hours. It is regretted that books cannot beallowed out on loan.

Archive

The archive contains displays of Order insignia, Brigade badges, silverware, pictures andother memorabilia. Donations of books, stamps, pictures, warrants, photographs andother ephemera are welcomed and are listed in the collection.

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Knight Commander Sir William Hall KCVO

Bailiffs Grand Cross Colonel B D Cotton OBE TD DLD R S Kingan Esq OBE DL

Lieutenant Dr J W Clarke OBE

Chaplains The Rt Rev & Rt Hon the Lord Eames OMThe Rev Dr R J G GrayThe Rt Rev Dr G McMullan

Commander St John Ambulance Vacant

Treasurer C T Hogg Esq MBE UD JP DL

Hospitaller P. Thompson Esq MA MSc

Director (Training) C Murdock Esq

Acting Commissioner J A Williams Esq RGN ENP

Librarian J W Hughes Esq OBE TD

Director of Ceremonies Lieutenant Colonel D W F Twigg MBE JP

The other Knights and DamesMiss B Boyce OBE Major D V Clarke TDColonel J Hughes CBE TD DL Mrs K R J Cooper MBEColonel W R H Charley OBE JP DL T A Smallwoods Esq MBEDr W A Eakins CBE TD QHP DL N C W Clarke EsqDr B Nicholl OBE His Honour John McKee RD QCLady Carswell CVO OBE Dr M B Howie MBE

The other CommandersThe Rt Hon the Earl of Caledon HML R J Lilley Esq MBEM J Crawford Esq A L Thompson EsqS Hall Esq MBE Marvin J Gowdy MBEC P B Plunket Esq MBE DL Mrs E M Armour MBEDr J P Alexander Mrs E S CottonC Murray Esq W A Edgar Esq BEMMrs J E Jackson MBE Victor Clydesdale Esq MBEMiss K Gill J R Eyre-Maunsell Esq DL

Commandery Chapter

Erne.

Headquarters

The Commandery Room, Library and administrative offices are situated on the first floorof Erne. The main rooms in the building are called Malta, Jerusalem, Acre, Kolossi,Rhodes, Valletta and Amalfi. There is a well equipped kitchen for catering purposes.Members are encouraged to visit Erne and to make use of its facilities. Visitors areadvised to telephone in advance.

The Secretary St John Ambulance (NI), Ms Hazel Patton, is also the Commandery Secretary.

Erne Tours

Arrangements for groups interested in the work of the Order to visit Erne can be madethrough the Secretariat.

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Treasurer’s ReportThe eleventh Annual General Meeting of St John Ambulance (NI) was held in May2011 at Hillsborough Castle. At that meeting I reported that significant progress hadbeen made towards achieving the strategic and operational objectives specified withinour Annual Plan for 2010 and pleasing financial results achieved.

Against the background of economic recession and uncertainty, incoming resources in2010 rose by a net 0.6%, with increases achieved over 2009 in donations, subscriptionsand ambulance duties. Course income showed a decrease of 6.9% over 2009, whilstresources from ambulance duties and patient transfers achieved an increase of 16%.

Thus the charity in 2010 responded to the need emanating directly from the hospitalsnetwork for the provision of transport and care for the transfer of patients.

During the year, income from voluntary donations increased slightly against the trendsuffered by many other charities at this time. Grant income and investment income fellbut nevertheless income from the charitable activities increased by 1.9%

Total expenditure in 2010 rose by 4.8 % .Costs of Charitable Activities also indicatea year on year increase of 4.8%, reflecting the commitment to delivery of ourcharitable mission in Northern Ireland in spite of the recessionary times.

The work of the St John Eye Hospital in Jerusalem continued to be supported.£25,445 was contributed in 2010 towards revenue costs and the second tranche of£50,000 given towards the costs of a capital refurbishment project at the Hospital.

Overall the Balance Sheet remained strong, thereby guaranteeing the ability of thecharity to sustain investment in the future in its charitable objectives as presented inthe Business Plan for 2011 and to implement the planned charitable programme.

The level of free reserves has been judged by the Trustees to be a requirement of twelvemonths operating expenditure. This equates to £1,428k. The actual free reserves at 31December 2010 were £1,523k.

Funds have been designated for particular purposes, including expenditure on theambulance fleet, relocation of Western Area St John Ambulance, IT upgrading,volunteer training expenditure, introduction of the St John Carer Support Programmeand purchase of service delivery uniform.

Overall St John Ambulance (NI) continues to face the uncertainty of the recessionsupported by prudent management, optimism and willing volunteers and staff. Theother Trustees and I consider that the activities carried out by St John Ambulanceduring the past year have provided considerable benefit to the public at no cost to therecipients at the point of delivery. The ability to demonstrate that St John Ambulanceprovides benefit to the public is vital, and will be scrutinized in due course throughthe future work of the Charity Commission in Northern Ireland.

As I retire as Treasurer and take up the role of Chairman, I look forward withconfidence to meeting the challenges which lie ahead.

CT Hogg MBE UD JP DLTreasurer

Representative OfficersThe Rt Hon the Lord Glentoran CBE DL Rev W J OrrThe Rev Canon W P Quill MBE RD The Rev Canon T C Kinahan MA

Ceremonial staffN Geddes Esq TD G Gettinby Esq

EsquiresP J Champion Esq E R Lindsay Esq

Commandery EsquiresCommander T I Chrishop R McConnell Esq

Commandery Secretary Ms Hazel Patton BA FCA

Honorary pianist Mrs F M McCormick MA LTCL

Ladies Committee Mrs Annette McKeeMrs Liz Shanks RD (Chairperson) Mrs Patricia Shaw RD DLMrs Lynn Bland Mrs Merida Chittick Mrs Anna Clarke Miss Sheelagh SimmsMrs Joan Clarke Mrs Bette Thompson DLMrs Mary Twigg Mrs Carol ThompsonMrs Helen Eakins Miss Heather WatsonMrs Rosemary Lowry Dr Hilary Johnston TDMrs Caroline Chrishop Mrs Catherine ChampionMrs Margie Deverell

Commandery Officer Reports

24 25

Visit of the Priory Hospitaller: Mrs Sheenah Davies pictured with His Honour JohnMcKee and Mr Robin Eyre-Maunsell.

Hospitaller’s Report

This is my last report as Hospitaller and I am happy to be in a position to advise youthat we did indeed achieve our 2010 target of £25000 contribution to the running costof the Eye Hospital, its Clinics and Outreach Teams. In the face of cuts, tax increasesand the slow down in the economy, matching this figure in the coming year will bechallenging for my successor.

Despite a significant reduction in referrals to the Eye Hospital by the PalestianAuthorities, for reasons both political and financial, patient numbers passed the100,000 mark in 2010 – a significant milestone indeed.

Over 4000 major surgical procedures were carried out during the year – anotherrecord. This represents a workload increase of more than 50% in the last five years.There is of course no reduction in the need for eye care – indeed the demand growsyear on year. Indeed the ability of most patients to pay diminishes as does theeconomic climate in the Palestinian Occupied Territories. Here is an example of justhow this demand is met through the dedication of the medical and support staff.

Due to the slight easing of the blockade during the latter half of 2010, it becameeasier for medical professionals to enter the Gaza enclave. We were then able toobtain a three week permit to send Consultant Surgeon, Dr Majdi Samaha, andStaff Nurse, Mostafa Odeh, into Gaza in order to concentrate solely on tackling thenumbers desperately in need of the cataract operation.

Our team arrived at the Clinic in Gaza on 18 October and began work overhaulingthe Operations Room and equipping it with a compressor that they had brought.

They then commenced performing surgeries and over a ten day period, completedand epic 190 phacoemulsification surgeries, as well as four corneal transplantsand numerous minor procedures.

We were visited in early March by Mrs Sheenah Davies, the Priory Hospitaller, whogave the keynote address at the luncheon held to mark the 100th Anniversary ofInternational Women’s Day. She spoke of the work of the Eye Hospital and of itsfunding; she was particularly generous in her praise of the contribution made by theCommandery of Ards. While here, she picked the winners of the ‘Be Creative’ artcompetition for Badgers and Cadets aimed at raising awareness of the Hospitalamongst our young people.

We now have in place four ‘Hospital Champions’, one for each area;

Jim Lilley - Northern AreaTony Maher - Southern AreaMargaret McConnell - Eastern AreaAudrey Johnston - Western Area.

The role of these four volunteers is to assist in presenting information about the EyeHospital and its work to the volunteers in their Area. They will be available to give talks

etc and can be contacted directly. In this way they will be helping to raise the profile andunderstanding of the Hospital among volunteers.

On 21 June we repeated last years mid-summer reception in Hillsborough whereguests enjoyed a programme of music and refreshments of fizz and strawberries. Ajoint concert with the Sovereign Military Order is planned for 1 October in St Peter’sCathedral, BelfaSt

Finally may I conclude with a personal note of thanks for all the support given to theHospital during my time as Hospitaller. The statistics are clear, we punch far above ourweight in terms of supporting the Eye Hospital, and this says much for the generosityso evident among the greater St John family in Northern Ireland. Thank you.

Robin Eyre-Maunsell DLHospitaller

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Commissioner’s Report

This is my final report in the role of District Commissioner and it covers the period toSt John’s Day 2011.

General

Over the past year our volunteers have continued to provide a vital first aid, ambulance andsocial care service to the public. The public duties and patient transfers carried out insupport of the Hospital Trusts and the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service have bothexperienced an increase. St John Ambulance continues to deliver the best quality of carewithin the competency of the individual volunteers whether first aiders or healthcareprofessionals. The selfless donation of their time and expertise to local communities is amuch appreciated and vital resource.

Good Practice in Equality of Opportunity and Diversity

Recruitment and selection for all volunteer appointments continue with selection beingmade on the basis of merit. In the last three months twenty separate recruitment exerciseshave taken place and relevant volunteer appointments made.

Operations and Training

Extreme weather conditions over Christmas led to St John Ambulance being tasked toprovide ambulance support to the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS). This wasin addition to ongoing patient transfer work. Over the Christmas and New Year period StJohn Ambulance responded to 27 NIAS calls. Throughout December 2010 360 patientswere conveyed in our ambulances, including 83 on behalf of NIAS.

Volunteers continued to provide first aid and ambulance public duty support to a myriad ofevents and organisations throughout the year. These events varied from garden fetes,cycling and school sports to motor cycling, car races and major concerts. Our service isprovided free of charge to casualties at the point of delivery.

Teams from Northern Ireland District took part in the National competitions at Croydon inJuly 2010. Four trophies were brought back to Northern Ireland, including the winningtrophy for the adult First Aid competition. The winning team was YMCA/AshfieldDivision. The cadet team from Ballymoney was placed second in the Cadet First Aid/Emergency Care competition and the Richmond Badger Team from Londonderry wasplaced third in the Badger competition. All competitors demonstrated that the skill andtraining of our volunteers of all ages is second to none in the United Kingdom. Ourcongratulations to all the volunteers involved.

District staff represented St John Ambulance on the Belfast Resilience Forum where theyconsidered issues such as security alerts and emergency planning. The Commissionerattended a Training Management Symposium in England during September 2010, whichaddressed matters such as volunteer orientation and the joining process, quality assurance,leadership and trainer training.

Director (Training)’s Report

It is my pleasure to report on the St John Ambulance commercial training activities forthis Directory.

Despite the recession, workplace first aid maintains its place as the highest priority fortraining and for which we are the leading provider. We continue to deliver regular coursesin Ballymena, Coleraine, Enniskillen, Londonderry, Newry, Omagh and Portadown aswell as Erne. We have recently upgraded the audio-visual equipment in the Rhodes andValetta rooms to match that in the Amalfi room that was newly built in 2009. Thiscertainly enhances the quality training on offer.

There are now fifty training organisations that are registered with the EmploymentMedical Advisory Service to carry out statutory work related first aid courses. This is anincrease of ten since last year and is, I believe, the highest number ever registered,certainly more than in 2005 when there were twenty-eight. We take great pride in thequality of our training and frequently get feedback from students who say that theylearned more from attending one of our courses than those of other training providers.

In October 2010 the European and United Kingdom Resuscitation Council announcedchanges to the resuscitation protocols that were implemented in April this year. Althoughminor, the changes were brought about to ensure that lay rescuers are taught to ensurethat they are able to give chest compressions at a sufficient rate and depth to ensure thecasualty has the best possible chance of recovery if breathing has ceased.

Changes in the format of workplace first aid are to be introduced in September 2011. Thesehave been brought in by the Health and Safety Executive (Northern Ireland) and mirror theregulations that have been effective in throughout Great Britain since October 2009. Theinitial First Aid at Work course is being reduced to three days and a one-day EmergencyFirst Aid at Work course is to be introduced to replace the current Emergency Aid forAppointed Person course. The two-day FAW requalification course remains unchanged.HSENI strongly recommends that workplace first aiders should attend an annual three-hourrefresher course in the intervening years between qualification and re-qualification.

Our range of first aid related courses remains unchanged for this year. We continue toprovide Emergency First Aid, child and infant related first aid, AED operator, anaphylaxisawareness and, if requested, road user and sports related first aid courses. Other health andsafety courses include fire marshal training, moving and handling and stress awareness.

Our team of instructors continue to work hard to maintain the quality of training forwhich we are renowned and I would thank them all for their continued support andprofessionalism.

I would also commend the St John Ambulance staff who continue, through their sustainedapplication and loyalty, to contribute to the success of the activities of the training department.

C MurdockDirector (Training)

28 29

In November 2010 a District Youth Workshop was attended by cadets from across theProvince. On the same weekend two representatives attended the National Youth conferencein England.

On Wednesday 30th March 2011 two cadets represented Northern Ireland at the GrandPrior’s reception in London.

Badgers

The Badger of the Year competition was held at Erne in January 2011 when Miss ErinMcKendrick from Scrabo Badger Sett was selected as Northern Ireland’s Badger of theYear 2011.

Glen Wray, a nine year old Badger from Greenhaw Badger Sett in Londonderry receivedthe St John Ambulance Young Achievers award from the Princess Royal at BuckinghamPalace in December 2010. Glenn was further recognised by the Belfast Telegraph in March2011 when he received a “Making the Difference 999 Hero” award at the Grand OperaHouse in BelfaSt This young Badger is already a fine ambassador for St John Ambulance.

Links

Andrew Kerr and Tanya Campbell have led Links at Queens University over the past fewyears and have built up this university society until now it numbers over 60 undergraduatestudent members. The members have a strong interest in St John Ambulance work and weshould benefit in the long term from their involvement with our organisation.

Valedictory

As I step down from the role of District Commissioner I wish to thank all the volunteers fortheir dedicated service to the public and this organisation.

L Murray MBE

An autumn training day was held in Lurgan in November 2010, which was attended by 100volunteers. Presentations were given on:

• Florence Nightingale – her vision for care• Motorcycle accidents and First Aiders• Diabetes

This was followed by four workshops covering:

• Alternative therapies• Alcohol and drugs• Eating disorders• Serious incidents

The annual training weekend was held at Greenmount College during April 2011 with over100 volunteers attending. The workshops covered:

• Drug abuse and addiction• Airway management and patient assessment• Are your hands clean and emergency obstetrics• Moving and handling / pelvic injuries• Driving• Radio and communications

Youth

Cadets

The District Cadet Camp was held in August 2010 and wasattended by 14 leaders and 61 cadets. A challengingprogramme was offered and the cadets who attendedreturned home fulfilled and exhausted. The leaders sharedthis experience!

In September 2010 a competition to select the Cadet of theYear was held at Erne. This year the winner was Miss GargiPandey from Northland Cadet Division , Londonderry.Gargi went forward to the National Cadet of the Yearcompetition in January 2011, when she was selected as oneof two Deputy National Cadets of the Year. This was amagnificent achievement for a cadet who had only been inthe organisation for two years. Congratulations to Gargi andour best wishes for her tenure in office.

Cadet Leadership courses continue to be held at StColumb’s Park House in Londonderry. These courses arechallenging but enjoyable and those attending go homewith enhanced skills which they can use to assist their UnitLeaders in the management of their divisions.

NI Cadet of the Year GargiPandey with trophy afterwinning the NationalDeputy Cadet of the Year.

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Librarian’s Report

I have received ephemera from Dr J W Clarke, Dr Arthur Eakins, Mr Gerald Gettinby, MrSam Hall, Mrs Joy Jackson, Mr D R S Kingan, Dr Paul Miller, Mr John McKee, Mr AlanPetticrew, Mr Jim Petticrew, Mrs Sheila Sinton and Mr T A Smallwoods. Their donationshave been indexed and added to the collection.

One interesting item received from Mr Alan Petticrew was a 1-inch buttonhole lapelbadge issued by the Southern Railway Ambulance Centre. The Southern Railway was inbeing from 1923 to 1947 and was one of the ‘Big Four’ (LMS, LNER, GWR and SR),being confined to London and the south of England.

The Eastern Area Commissioner, Mr William McCormick, hashanded in the Whitaker Cup for display in the silver cabinet. The cupwas presented by Miss Beatrix Whitaker. She was the firstsuperintendent of West Belfast Nursing Division and later LadyDistrict Officer of the Brigade in 1937. A contemporary of her wasDr Muriel Frazer, now in her 101st year. The cup was awarded to thebest team in the nursing competition, then run on an all-Ireland basisuntil superseded by the Sir Otto Lund Trophy in 1955. The cup is

hallmarked London 1932. It is in Art Deco style with two classical heads with wings onthe top of the handles.

Armagh Division has donated a framed picture of photographs taken of the award of theFreedom of the City of Armagh in 2008.

A 4-page A4 size short illustrated history of YMCA/Ashfield Boys’ High SchoolAmbulance and Ambulance Cadet Division has been published to mark the goldenjubilee of the division. Mr Marvin Gowdy, a former superintendent, edited the text.

Mr Jim Petticrew has donated a copy of a certificate presented to his father, Francis(Frank) Petticrew, Harland & Wolff Division, by the War Organisation of the BRCS andOrder of St John in recognition of his service to humanity during the Second World War.

I visited the National Memorial Arboretum last yearto see in particular the St John Ambulance Memorial,which was opened in 2009 by HRH The Duke ofGloucester. Over 300,000 visitors come annually.Two large black granite panels depict the badge of theOrder and the arms of the Priory of England and theIslands. The walls of the garden are white and are inthe form of the 8-pointed Amalfi Cross, inside which are flower beds.

J W Hughes OBE TD

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