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Order's Secretary-General pays tribute to St. John Ambulance Service in Malta
by di-ve.com
Thursday, 14 December, 2006
The Secretary-General of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital
of St John of Jerusalem, Rear-Admiral Andrew Bankes Gough, praised the
hard work and commitment of the hundreds of volunteers who provide
their services to the St John Association in Malta, during a three-day
visit to Malta.
During his three-day working visit, the Secretary-General of the
Order of St John, held meetings and discussions with the key staff
members of the Order and its foundations in Malta, and had the
opportunity to meet Officers and Volunteers of the St John Ambulance.
The Secretary-General also chaired a meeting of the St John Council
in Valletta, where he discussed policy issues and international matters
with the Chairman and Members of the St John Council.
The Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem is
more commonly known as the Order of St John and is a royal order of
chivalry of which Queen Elizabeth II is the Sovereign Head.
The Order of St John is represented in Malta by the St John
Council, which has its seat in Valletta, and is headed by Chairman
Chief Justice Emeritus Professor J J Cremona. The St John Council is
the highest entity of the Order in Malta, and forms part of the St John
Association - Malta GC, which also incorporates the St John Ambulance
Headquarters, St John Ambulance Training Branch, St John Ambulance
(First Aid and Nursing) and the St John Rescue Corps.
Rear-Admiral Andrew Gough joined the Order of St John as Secretary
General in November 2003, with both a military and business background.
During 35 years in the Royal Navy, Rear-Admiral Gough commanded a
helicopter squadron, a mine-hunter, 3 frigates and a squadron of NATO
warships. He retired from the Royal Navy in 2000 and was appointed a
Companion of the Order of the Bath by Queen Elizabeth II.
He then had a successful short business career as one of the
founders of Forces Group, providing specialised insurance solutions to
the UK Armed Forces, and has been the Managing Director of two of the
group's companies.
Senior officials who were invited to discussions with Rear-Admiral
Gough included the Chairman St John Council, the two Vice-Chairmen and
members of the Council and Headquarters Staff.
During his visit to the Valletta national St John headquarters,
Rear-Admiral Gough also attended a presentation on the history of the
St John Ambulance in Malta which was delivered by the Staff Officer for
Press and Public Relations Chevalier Aaron G P de Giorgio.
During his presentation, Chevalier Aaron de Giorgio treaded on the
highlights of the Ambulance presence in Malta for the past 124 years.
This year is particularly significant as the St John Ambulance (First
Aid and Nursing) will soon commemorate 100 years of service to the
nation, whilst the St John Rescue Corps is in its twenty-first year of
service. The St John Ambulance Training Branch will next year
commemorate its 125th year of active service to the nation, and was the
first branch of the St John Ambulance Association to be established
outside of Great Britain.
In his short address to all present, the Secretary-General
expressed his admiration and praised and commended the dedication,
service and hard-work of many thousands of volunteers who have served
the Order and Malta over so many years. Rear-Admiral Gough encouraged
those at the service of the Order and its corps in Malta to carry on
with their sterling work.
Rear-Admiral Gough also presented Brigadier Carmel Vassallo with
the insignia and diploma promoting him to the rank of Commander
(Brother) within the Order of St John. He concluded by saying that the
service the Association in Malta is providing harks back to the
tradition of the Knights Hospitaller of St John in Jerusalem.
The Hospitallers were a military and religious Order founded in
Jerusalem before the First Crusade in 1099, dedicated to caring for
"Our Lords the Sick and Our Lords the Poor" and to the defence of
Christendom. Their successors today are the recognised Orders of St
John - the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St John of Jerusalem
of Rhodes and of Malta (SMOM), the Balley Brandenburg des Ritterlichen
Ordens Sankt Johannis vom Spital zu Jerusalem (Der Johanniterorden) in
Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden, and their associated bodies in
Finland, Switzerland, Hungary and France, together with the Most
Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem.
Today, the Order of St John is an international entity with some
30,000 members worldwide. St John Ambulance has a global membership of
nearly 300,000 in forty one countries. Its activities include first aid
provision and training, ambulance, community care, mountain, cliff and
other rescue services.
The Order has Priories in England, Scotland, Wales, South Africa,
New Zealand, Canada, Australia and the United States of America, two
Commanderies in Northern Ireland and Western Australia, and thirty
three national St John Associations in Commonwealth countries and
territories and an associated body in Ireland.
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