Four new St John emergency ambulances will hit Auckland roads thanks to enormous giving by the Stevenson Village Trust. Freshly painted in the high-vis St John yellow, the new ambulances will now form a total of five ambulances donated by the trust.
“Donations of this size are just extraordinary,” Glen Hill, St John Northern Regional General Manager said.
“The generosity of donors like Stevenson Village Trust, and others like them, makes the work we do in communities possible. These gifts don’t come by very often. But we need them. And through them, we literally save lives,” he said.
Emergency health care has developed significantly in the past 120 years - it’s an essential and expensive business, costing over $200,000 to get a modern ambulance on the road. Like ‘emergency clinics on wheels’ ambulances now have hi-tech clinical and medical equipment including mobile data terminals, stretchers, a defibrillator, heart rate monitor and specialised extraction equipment.
“It’s all about making sure Kiwis have the emergency medical care they deserve. For us it’s vital to keep the fleet up to date and in great condition, especially when lives are on the line,” Glen said.
As an emergency service St John must continually replenish its ambulance fleet. The average ambulance in Auckland can attend between 60 to 90 incidents in a week, and ambulances can be used 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
“The Stevenson Village Trust will literally help saves lives through the gift of these ambulances,” he said.
Stevenson Village Trust was founded by Sir William Stevenson, a philanthropist, avid supporter and member of St John during his lifetime (1901 – 1983). The Village was established in 1975 as a partnership between Stevenson and the Howick RSA providing low cost housing to returned servicemen. Its eventual sale in 2016 has left the Trust with an ‘estate’ of money to administer.
Stevenson Village Trustee and spokesperson Betty Shackleford said the donation to St John was made in honour of the love and dedication Sir William had for the important work of the organisation, and in keeping with the tradition he set in donating ambulances to the cause. Sir William donated his first ambulance to St John in 1953 then another in 1959.
St John is a charity and relies on donations and funding to provide emergency ambulance care. For more information about donating or supporting St John call 0800 ST JOHN (0800 785 646) and ask to speak to the Northern Region Fundraising team.