A Glimpse into the Life of a Hato Hone St John Volunteer
Ten years ago, my husband Mike and I were living in Ōtautahi Christchurch with two teenage sons, and I was studying social work. Ōtautahi was a fantastic place to raise children, but we knew once the boys left home we wanted to move somewhere that would offer a different (and warmer) lifestyle. Whitianga was the eventual choice and we’ve now lived here permanently for over four years. I work part-time as a social worker and part-time as an ambulance officer – I didn’t see that work combination in the tea leaves!
Why Whitianga? Mike spent much of his childhood around the peninsula, and he still has family in the area, so it’s familiar territory. In the years preceding our move here, we came to Whitianga for many holidays, and loved the sea and the fishing. In 2014, we bought a holiday home at Wharekaho and spent many months of the year here. The magic of the peninsula worked its spell and our reservations about moving permanently to such a small town dissolved. Mike works remotely, so moving was easy for him – and although I wasn’t sure what I’d end up doing, I kept my social work registration current hoping that might be part of the picture.
A month into our move here, barely unpacked, I saw an advert for Hato Hone St John (HHSJ) volunteer ambulance officers and applied.
I started as a volunteer recruit, then completed training to become a first responder, then I continued study and became an emergency medical technician (EMT). I have a casual contract so I do both paid and volunteer work. I’m also a member of the HHSJ local area committee. I’ve really connected with ambulance work, as do so many others who find it to be the right fit for them. The combination of the work – which can be routine or critical – and the time spent with your crew make for a unique and special work environment (volunteers do much shorter hours once qualified). None of us are just ‘ambulance drivers’ – we take turns driving and are all trained clinically to varying degrees. In my initial interview, I confessed I didn’t want to have to drive the winding Coromandel roads, but my interviewer kindly reassured me that they would teach me to drive confidently and safely, which they did.
Whitianga has an ambulance hub, which means we have two ambulances with paid crew which are based in Whitianga, but each morning one travels to Coromandel to provide cover from there. Regardless of our base station though, we work across the entire Coromandel Peninsula – because when a call comes, the closest unit is sent.
Why do we need volunteers? If a frontline ambulance is already busy in the community, volunteers can provide appropriate first response care for the patient until back-up arrives. Whilst I love my paid ambulance work, there’s a special satisfaction knowing that you volunteered your time to help someone in their time of need. Our volunteers also do community-based work such as delivering the 3 Steps for Life (CPR and defibrillator training) workshops or doing free blood pressure checks in town.
It’s true that there is a time commitment to becoming a volunteer, as training courses total 10-12 full days, with additional time to get skills and drives signed off. However, it is such an enriching and rewarding choice and the life skills you pick up along the way are so important. Being a volunteer doesn’t have to mean being in an ambulance either; our fantastic retail store is staffed by volunteers, and all the profits from the store go to funding community programmes and services such as the local health shuttle, as well as supporting our operational team – so we’re supporting a great cause when shopping there. The health shuttle volunteers also provide an incredible service, transporting people to various medical appointments for nothing more than a koha (donation) if possible.
I really do think I’m lucky; I live in paradise doing two jobs that give me a sense of meaning, connect me with amazing people and contribute to greater health equity for our community. I’d like to think the work I do is earning me just a little something towards being able to call myself a local.
If you are interested in finding out more about becoming a Hato Hone St John volunteer in any capacity – please get in touch and I can make sure your enquiry goes to the right place: di.taylor@stjohn.org.nz Or call the station on: 07 866 4747.
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