Jonathan Witt and Brenda Stott, both of Bedfordview Division.
Congratulations on your engagement!
The Great Bake Off in Ekurhuleni
The Ekurhuleni cadets recently completed their crafts requirement for the Grand Prior’s Badge under the supervision of Mrs Jenny Faure, Priory Officer. Mrs Faure is a professional cake confectioner.
It seems that great fun was had by all.
Congratulations to these young people who will receive their badges at the Johannesburg District Annual Inspection on 8 September 2013 if Priory processes the paperwork already sent in time.
EMS CPD Meetings for August/September 2013
Each of these is worth one CEU.
Netcare Union Hospital on Thursday 29 August 2013 at 19:00 in the Banquest Hall, Alberton Fire Station. Booking 072 538 8870 or vian.devilliers@netcare.co.za. Advances in pre-hospital care: ABC tricks, gadgets and powders, Dr BI Monzon-Torres, Trauma Surgeon.
Netcare Milpark Hospital on 5 September 2013 at 18:30 for 19:00 at San Souci, Netcare Milpark Hospital. RSVP Mariesa Human, Emergency Department 011 480 726 or mariesa.human@netcare.co.za Memorizing Drugs: “Cutting Edge” or “Cut it Out”?
The Investiture of a knight, dames, an officer and members of the Order
Once a year The Priory for South Africa conducts an Investiture of Members of the Order of St John to whatever rank they hold in the Order (not the Brigade). The programme for the evening explains what an investiture is in the following words: “An Investiture is a ceremony during which individuals, who have been recognised for sustained outstanding service to St John, and granted admission to or promotion in the Order by the Sovereign Head, are invested with the insignia of their grade. The ceremony takes place annually in Johannesburg. When the number of postulants in other areas accumulates an investiture will be held in that particular region.”
This is done at a church service at which members of St John Brigade and members of the Most Venerable Order of The Hospital of St John of Jerusalem are invited to rededicate themselves for the Service of Humanity.
2013 was no exception to this rule and all Brigade members were invited to this solemn and moving ceremony which was held at St George’s Anglican Church, Parktown, the nearest Anglican Church to Priory in Westcliff on Friday 2 August 2013. St George’s, like Glenshiel, the building in which the Priory is housed, is a Herbert Baker building.
This year the following promotions took place: Roderick Neil van Zuylen became a Knight of the Order, Cynthia Abbott and Catherine Jane Dedman became Dames of the Order, Petrus Johannes Oelofse became an Officer of the Order and Marlene Loots and Aubrey Phegelelo Sediba became members of the Order. Claire van Zuylen and Rowan Shaun Scandroglio were presented as Esquires.
In the rededication service the members of the Order and the Members of the St John said:
Look upon our lives, O Lord God, and make them yours.
In your power may we walk in your way,
faithfully believing in your Word,
And faithfully keeping your commandments,
faithfully worshipping you,
and faithfully serving our neighbour,
to the furtherance of your glorious kingdom,
For your name’s sake. Amen.
The St John Hymn, O God our help in ages past, with its St John specific verses was also sung.
The ceremony is solemn and not rushed and there is wonderful fellowship in the hall afterwards where refreshments are served and various people who don’t often get to see one another find a moment to greet and catch up with news and happenings. The bonds of friendship and fellowship are forged at competitions, training events, Priory gatherings like Investitures and it is good to see new generations of Brigade members joining in and becoming part of the St John family.
It is a great privilege to be able to be at an Investiture and I, for one, was very proud of all our Brigade members, both adult and cadet.
Poison Line 021 689 5227
South Africa has one national Poison Line and the number is 021 689 5227. Brigade members are requested to enter it into cell phone contact lists and write it down on lists near landlines. Encourage others, particularly people with young children, to have this number handy.
One still needs to activate one’s local ambulance service, but this is where one can get correct and speedy information about the correct treatment for that particular scenario.
Note: Brigade members with hints and tips or Brigade member personal information like births, deaths, marriages, promotions etc are requested to forward these to the Brigade Office at moira.deswardt@stjohn.org.za
Your Senior Officers heard you …
… complaining about the lack of communication down the levels.
Here’s what we have done about it. We started this blog so that when we send out some communication or other, no one down the line can fail to pass it on. You can access it here.
So, we will keep you informed about as many things as we can.
Over the months we will post about forthcoming events, share reports and pictures of these events after they have happened.
We will post what tips and hints we get to make your lives easier on duty.
We will post the photographs of duties that you send us (just a few per duty) and share some of the things you tell us about these duties.
If you give us information about members we will share those, again with photographs, so tell us about your graduations, your matric dances, your birthdays, your engagements, marriages, the births of children, special milestones and the illnesses and deaths of Brigade or former Brigade members.
This is space for the members to stay in touch. To help us do this please send any information and photographs to the Brigade Office at moira.deswardt@stjohn.org.za.
St John Johannesburg celebrates Mandela Day 2013
What a special day St John Johannesburg had in celebration of Mandela’s 95th birthday and International Mandela Day on 18 July 2013!
The love the nation has for our Tata, Madiba, the former President, Nelson Mandela, was evident in the huge amount of love, care, attention and effort that went into the four hour programme at the St John Westbury Centre in Johannesburg.
Fifty five people from the Westbury community had their eyes screened free of charge, and by the time I arrived shortly before 10:00 all fifty five places had already been allocated. The St John Eye Clinic then proceeded to provide prescription spectacles for all pensioners free of charge, while younger patients were invited to come back for a full eye test and spectacles at the very low St John prices.
A group of primary school children from the Westbury Primary School walked down to the St John Westbury Centre where they were trained by the St John Brigade members using the “We Can Help” manual which is simple and can be coloured in. St John Brigade members illustrated the course content with some impressive demonstrations, not least of which is how loud the ambulance sirens can be. Crayons, treats and other gifts were found in the goodie bags packed by Centre staff very early in the morning.
Further demonstrations were also performed for the adults in the community which saw some fabulous acting on the part of the “casualties” and wonderful “treatment” by the smartly uniformed Brigade members. The realism of the demonstration found some people praying over the situation and Centre staff had to take the concerned people gently aside to explain that it was just a simulated scene. Tea, biscuits and lunch interspersed talks from SANCA and the Community Policing Forum, as well as the first aid demonstrations.
One of the Centre staff members baked and lovingly iced not one, but three birthday cakes for Madiba, then after the entire assembled community sang Happy Birthday for Madiba she sliced them up and placed them on trays for the Centre staff to serve the mostly elderly citizens their last cup of tea and birthday cake. The cakes were delicious.
A lucky draw was done for 19 deluxe first aid kits and many families went home with a comprehensive first aid kit and an invitation to contact St John to find out about further first aid or home based care training.
For me the day was an eye-opener to see just how much St John contributes to the community and how loved St John is by the community. It was also a wonderful opportunity to spend time with the various “arms” of St John, the Eye Clinic, the Centre and Brigade as well as the people we serve in the name of St John. All of this was occasioned, of course, by the International Mandela Day in which everyone throughout the world is challenged to do 67 minutes (or more) of charitable works in recognition of the life of Nelson Mandela, a man who made a difference to the world. We, in South Africa, are doubly blessed to celebrate this day in honour of our beloved Madiba.
Brigade Orders Johannesburg 