Dr James Allan Mawdsley OAM KStJ
Fourteenth Commissioner of St John Victoria District, 1990-1993
Allan Mawdsley joined St John as an eleven-year-old cadet at Malvern. As a medical student he was the first Probationary Surgeon in Victoria, and after graduation became Malvern Divisional Surgeon. Subsequent promotions were to Corps Surgeon, District Staff, District Surgeon and Commissioner. He was invested as a Knight of Grace in the Order of St John in 1988. In his professional career he was a child psychiatrist. He was a Director of the Alfred Hospital Child Mental Health Service, lecturer at Melbourne and Monash Universities, Chairman of Advanced Training in Child Psychiatry of the RANZ College of Psychiatrists, and Coordinator of Child Psychiatric Services of the Victorian Government Health Department.
As Chairman of Training he introduced a computerised class booking system, an instructor accreditation system, and professional trainers. As Commissioner he introduced computerisation of performance standards, undertook financial analysis to guide cost recovery, introduced a triennial appointments policy utilising “expressions of interest”, and employed the first full-time salaried Volunteer First Aid Services Manager. Subsequent to his triennium as Commissioner he served further periods as Chair of Ophthalmic Branch, Director of Order Affairs, Deputy Chair of St John Council and Curator of the St John Museum in Victoria.
