Why a Historical Society?
Celebrating and researching our history enables us to understand the worldwide organisation we belong to. This keeps us well positioned to strengthen St John as we look to the future.
There is a lot to be proud of!
As an organisation, St John Ambulance has immediate appeal from a history point of view.
- there are indirect links to the humanitarian work done by Knights in Jerusalem from the 11th century
- the ‘modern’ history of St John goes way back to the 1880s in England
- the history of St John is interwoven with major events like world wars and disasters
- we stand on the shoulders of thousands of local community volunteers who have been doing humanitarian work for over 130 years
- each clinical breakthrough (like CPR and defibrillation) has its own fascinating history
About the Historical Society
The St John Historical Society was established in 2001 and was formally incorporated as a part of St John Ambulance Australia in 2007. However, important history-related activities had been occurring well before 2001! For example – there has been a Librarian (i.e. historian) appointed to the Australian Priory for over 60 years, and many states and territories have well-established archives and history groups. Three states even have a museum!
We are indebted to Dr Brian Fotheringham for getting the Historical Society off the ground. He saw the need for such a society in 1998, when he was the Priory Librarian. With Brian as President, the first committee consisted of Dr Ian Howie-Willis, Mrs Betty Stirton, Ms Beth Dawson, and Dr Edith Khangure – all enthusiastic and experienced historians.
From humble beginnings, it is amazing to see what the Historical Society has grown into today. The highlight each year is the annual seminar (held at the same time as the annual St John Conference). Each year there are about 15 papers presented, all professionally researched, covering topics as diverse as mediaeval history to clinical first aid. The seminar papers are then published as an annual journal, St John History. As of 2020, there are now 20 volumes of St John History!
