Dannevirke St John Health Shuttle Service celebrates on multiple

Murray Pringle presents the new health shuttle to Rex Wheeler Knight of St John on behalf of the estate of John and Shirley Davidson.

On Tuesday, June 23 St John celebrated on a number of fronts events relating to the Dannevirke Health Shuttle Service.

The Dannevirke Health Shuttle Service has three shuttles and a car, transporting people to appointments in Dannevirke, Palmerston North and sometimes Wellington. This has been built up over the last 16 years by community volunteers.

Recently this service has been able to replace one of the older shuttles with the donation from the Estate of John & Shirley Davidson of a new health shuttle which was dedicated on Tuesday, June 23 at 2pm at the St John base in Thyra Street.

Those representing the donor were Wendy Young (a niece of the couple), Noeline Hartridge and Murray Pringle (their trustees.)

After a welcome by Chaplain of St John Rev'd Adrienne Bruce, Murray Pringle presented the shuttle to Rex Wheeler Knight of St John who formally accepted it saying he was delighted to receive this gift on behalf of St John and the Dannevirke community.

The shuttle was formally blessed by Rev'd Bruce asking God to "Watch over all who travelled in it and to bless all those who served."

The assembled crowd of 50 St John members past and present and friends then adjourned to the meeting room where the second part of the function began.

With the week being both St John Week when it remembers the foundations of the order named after St John the Baptist (whose birthday the church remembers on June 24) and New Zealand Volunteer Week the order took the opportunity to recognise shuttle volunteers.

John Ross was presented with a St John 50-Year Service Medal by Rex Wheeler Knight of St John and a representative of St John Central Region Trust Board. He spoke at length about the importance of volunteers and his fondness for John who was "an absolute gentleman and terrific servant of St John".

He also applauded sincerely the work of Don and Kay Stewart who upon visiting Feilding's operation pioneered the Dannevirke shuttle service 16 years ago "creating a model which has been copied all over New Zealand".

This was supported by other speakers including Mayor Tracey Collis who said it was amazing this couple had earned a civic honour so early and yet had gone on building the shuttle service even stronger until the changes in the organisation recently. She said the service was far more than taking people to an appointment. She added volunteers keep Tararua and New Zealand functioning.

Shuttle driver Wayne Hermansen said it was loyalty to this couple together with the meticulous care of the vehicles by John Ross which made the shuttle service the success it has been.

Rex Wheeler went on to explain the need for St John to cope with changing times which explains the changes in organisation and leadership. He said the St John leadership is starting to recognise there has to be a balance between the needs of St John and the needs of the volunteers but even he is affected by rules restricting the number of years he can serve.

The final part of the afternoon was a thank you to all volunteers and in particular the 13 shuttle drivers who have retired. They are (with years served in brackets) Ray Beckett (11), Ruth Ussher (4), Vanessa Barnett (1), Alison and Roger Burson (6), Jim and Vonnie Vercoe-Austing (7), June Elmore (11), Kathryn Mulinder (10), Lois Churchouse (18), Talph Brown (15), Pat Thomas (14) and Kay Stewart (15).

It also recognised the St John Youth Division leaders – Delwyn Walker, Jo Crosse, Glennis McDonald, Tracey Bradbury and Mikayla Donohue and area committee members.

A splendid afternoon tea was enjoyed by the 50-strong group who reminisced late into the afternoon.