News 2008
8/12/08
Read the December Issue of The Link
The Link is the Order of St John newsletter with stories from London, Cameroon and Malta. Read it here.
22/11/08
New Lord Prior
Professor Anthony Mellows was Installed as the new Lord Prior of the Order of St John on Thursday 20 November in a ceremony in London which was attended by the Duke of Gloucester. Read more details on the Order website. www.orderofstjohn.org. Read the Installation Address and an Interview with the new Lord Prior.
Above left : Professor Mellows and the Duke of Gloucester; above right the Great Officers at the Installation.
6/11/08
Oban Base Opening
Oban Mountain Rescue Team's newly refurbished base in the former fire station in Sinclair Drive, Oban, was formally opened by the head of St John Scotland, Sir James Stirling of Garden KCVO CBE GCStJ, on Thursday 6th November.
In the past six years Oban Mountain Rescue Team has benefited from over a quarter of a million pounds (£264,000) of support from the Order. A £23,000 Land Rover was presented in 2002 and the former Oban fire station was bought as a base for them in 2004 for £189,000, since when a further £52,000 has been spent on it for modifications and repairs.
The modifications mean that the building can now be used much more effectively by the team as a base for their equipment, training and other activities. Sir James said ‘St John Scotland is pleased and proud to be able to help the Oban Mountain Rescue Team and similar rescue bodies across Scotland and we admire their splendid humanitarian work. We hope that this new base will enable them to be even more successful in helping others.’
Rescue Team Chairman John Peden said, "The team was set up in 2000, and we have been very lucky to get such a suitable building as our base. With the refurbishment complete it is like a new building. We are delighted now to have a proper home for our vehicles and equipment, and such a great training facility."
Oban MRT has 37 active members and responds to between 15 and 20 call-outs a year, in an area covering the northwest of Argyll from Bridge of Orchy to Campbeltown and islands including Mull and Jura.
4/11/08
Dunbartonshire Open Meeting
Cheques amounting to £3000 were presented to local charities at the annual open meeting of St John Dunbartonshire on 30 October.
Pictured From left: Loch Lomond Rescue Boat and the Arrochar Mountain Rescue Team members, Ian Bisland, Frank Rogers, Mark Leyland with Vice-Chairman of St John Dunbartonshire, Douglas Dow ; Mugdock Country Park representatives : Tom Downs OStJ and Ian Arnott; Acorn Children's Centre clinical services manager, Sheila Downie and Douglas Dow. Mrs Downie said that the money would be put to good use in renewing all the toys used by the children on their visits to the Centre which is the Vale of Leven Hospital.
Also present at the meeting was Claire Murphy from The St Margaret of Scotland Hospice at Clydebank to receive a cheque for £750.
16/10/08
Gala Dinner at Dunbarton Castle
A SPECIAL Gala Dinner in the dining room of the Governor’s House at Dumbarton Castle on Saturday October 11 raised £800 for St John Dunbartonshire.The Keeper of the Castle, Brigadier Donald Hardie, CVO, KStJ, TD, hosted the event which was organised by the Dumbarton and Clydebank committee chaired by Wing Commander George Campbell, OBE, OStJ, DL, from Cardross. The five course dinner was attended by 25 members and guests of St John Dunbartonshire. Entertainment was provided by leading Dumbarton piper Colin Lawrie and members of the Helensburgh-based Margaret Rose School of Dancing (pictured).
5/10/08
Fife Committee donates recliner to Cupar Hospital
Patient at Adamson Hospital in Cupar, Ken Grogan, tries out the new recliner presented by Fife Chairman, Lawson Rennie (left) and Area Secretary, Jim Delaney.
25/08/08
New St John Bookshop opens in Edinburgh
The St John Shop at 20 Deanhaugh Street, Stockbridge, opened on Monday 25 August as Charity Books Plus following a complete refurbishment. Carrying out the ceremony was Margaret Balfour, a St John member who has volunteered in the shop for many years.
Avid book collector and specialist in Ladybird Books, Robert Mullin, will be managing the shop with a team of volunteers. As well as a vast selection of children’s books, the shop stocks maps, prints, postcards and unusual items of bric-a-brac.
“We welcome all kinds of donations from modern non-fiction to pre-1940s books,” says Robert, who has donated around 2000 children’s books from his own collection and runs a website about Ladybird books – www.theweeweb.co.uk.
The first customer of the day was Margaret Balfour and shortly afterwards Freddie Crichton-Stuart made a purchase (see below left).
All profits will go to the Order of St John, a long-established charity dedicated to helping people in sickness, need and danger. The Scottish branch of the charity provides vehicles to the mountain rescue teams and runs transport services for cancer patients in Angus and Dumfries and Galloway. It also helps to fund palliative care centres and various local projects across the country.
Volunteers are needed to help in Charity Books Plus which will be open six days a week: Tuesday to Saturday 10am-5pm and Sunday 12-4pm. Further details from 0131 332 4911.
18/06/08
St John Festival in Glasgow
The annual service of the Priory of Scotland of The Order of St John takes place tomorrow (Thursday 19 June) at Wellington Church, University Avenue Glasgow at 11am.
Historic pageantry and colourful ceremony are major highlights at the St John service which will be attended by some 300 members and guests. Senior members of the Order process to the church in their black mantles bearing heraldic flags aloft. The service will be followed by the investiture of 22 postulants – new and promoted members of the Order - carried out by the Prior, Sir James Stirling of Garden.
Postulants 2008:
Commander
Iain Robertson Balfour
George Donaldson
Katharine Margaret Ella, Mrs Liston
Marjory Jane, Mrs McLachlan
Joseph Mackie
William Sands Sommerville
Charles Ian Gibson Whytock**
Officer
Susan Margaret, Miss Balfour**
Philip David Carman
Robert Hugh Cook
Douglas Brian Pover
Alison Lees, Mrs Scott**
Sheena McDougall, Mrs Watson
Member
John Haig Colman
Agnes Dickson, Mrs Duncan**
David Duncan**
John Charles Enos
William Gilmour
Christopher David MacBride
Rev John Murning
Frederick Ross
Muriel Joan, Mrs Williams
18/05/08
Stuart Morris of Balgonie is shaving his beard for charity!
Having nurtured his beard for 24 years, Stuart Morris of Balgonie has decided to take his beard off to raise money for the Order’s charitable works. The deed will take place at the Markinch Highland Games, on the 1st of June 2008, home of the oldest Pipe Band Competition in Scotland. For those not able to attend the Games, donations can be sent to the Fife Branch’s Treasurer: Ron Parsons, MStJ., 9 Penrice Park, Lundin Links, Leven, Fife, KY8 6DZ.
18/04/08
Marathon run for St John
Dave Sherman, MBE, a St John Perth & Kinross
Priory Member, completed the London Marathon in an amazing 12,943
place ... 4 hours 17mins 38 secs -ahead of 22,000 runners!
This was a 'mature' return to marathon running after many years. Dave raised an impressive £1500
for our cancer/palliative care project to provide the day-room at the Perth Royal Infirmary's new
palliative care unit.
14/03/08
St John Life Saving Medals for Penicuik boys
Three teenagers from Penicuik received Life Saving Medals from the Order of St John on Friday 14 March at 2.15pm at a ceremony at Dynamic Earth, Edinburgh. The medals were presented by Sir James Stirling of Garden, the head of the Order of St John in Scotland.
The boys, Liam Dugan (15), Aaron Moore (14) and Daniel Sturrock (16), witnessed a shooting incident in Penicuik on 4 December 2006 while on their way to army cadet training. Despite the gunman, they rushed to help the victim who was bleeding extensively from a shotgun wound in the abdomen. Their immediate and effective response helped to save his life and resulted in their nomination to the Order of St John for the award.
“The boys put their own lives at risk to save someone’s life because when they intervened the gunman was in the vicinity. This made them the perfect recipients of the St John Life Saving Medals and we hope that this will encourage others to nominate suitable candidates in the future,” explained Richard Waller, chief executive of the Order of St John in Scotland. The Order is a long-established charity whose mission is to help people in sickness, distress, suffering or danger. In many countries, it operates St John Ambulance.
Also present at the ceremony were Edinburgh’s Lord Provost, George Grubb; the Provost of Midlothan, Adam Montgomery; the Lord Lieutenant of Midlothian, Patrick Prenter; and representatives from the Scottish Government, Lothian and Borders Police, the Scottish Ambulance Service, Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, the Army Cadets and teachers from the boys’ schools. See Gallery section for more pictures.
6/02/08
St John Home, Cramond
A new role is needed for the St John Home in Cramond, Edinburgh. Formerly used by Alzheimers Scotland for respite and Lothian Hospitals Trust for cancer patients, the six bedroom house (five double and one single) has to be used for a charitable purpose.
St John Scotland will welcome any suitable proposals for a charitable use of the house from other organisations, ideally which are in a position to run the home indpendently. To find out more, please contact us on 0131 556 8711 - before 6 March 2008.
1/02/08 - Medals presentation
The first major event of 2008 is the presentation
of life-saving medals to three boys from Penicuik. The ceremony is due to take place at Dynamic Earth in Edinburgh on Friday 14 March. Find out more about the awards here.
2007 News Summary
2007 marked the 125th anniversary of the founding of the St John Eye Hospital in Jerusalem. Around 20 members headed to Jerusalem at the end of May take part in the celebrations. More details can be found in the October issue of In Focus - see the News section.
The Annual International Meeting took place in South Africa in early May. It was attended by representatives from the eight priories and four associations: Pakistan, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Antigua & Barbuda. The Grand Prior of the Order, HRH Duke of Gloucester, invested PresidentThabu Mbeki as a Knight of the Order.
The Prior, Sir James Stirling of Garden and Priory Secretary, Richard Waller, visited Malawi for an update on the Health Care Project. St John Scotland has committed to £10,000 a year funding for the project for the next three years. This allowed the number of health care workers on the project to be increased from 19 to 65.
For more details on St John Scotland events in recent years, please see the Yearbook.