St John Day Celebrations

At 90 years young, Alexander Crass is St John Ambulance NSW’s oldest serving volunteer.

The enthusiastic volunteer is based in the Hawkesbury Division St John Ambulance and was the voice of the organisation this week to mark St John Day … Monday, June 24th.

The St John Ambulance service was established in NSW over 140 years ago. There are over 2,800 St John volunteers in NSW, 1,000 of them are under the age of 18. St John NSW volunteers deliver event first aid, emergency response, and first aid training.

To Alex Crass it is volunteer work that keeps him young. He served in the Navy before joining thre Railways and was in the First Aid corp for 30 years.

In an interview with ABC Radio Sydney he said: “I get great satisfaction assisting people in distress and being able to comfort and reassure people.” He says his volunteering journey with St John started 16 years ago when he honoured a promise to a friend.

He said the camaraderie and knowing he is helping people are what he enjoys most about his volunteering.

“I just encourage people to give a little bit of their time (to volunteering) when they find an area they want to be involved with.” St John Ambulance cadet Penelope Ravn joined the cadet program a year ago when she was just 7 years old, following in the footsteps of her older brother.

As the State’s youngest volunteer she also spoke to the ABC saying she had learnt so much as a cadet. Her dream is to work in medicine.

For more information about St John Ambulance and its programs and how to volunteer call 1300 785 646 or visit the website stjohnnsw.com.au