Order of St John

Origins

When Jerusalem fell to the first Crusaders in 1099, they found in the Holy City a hospice where the monks of St Mary's abbey cared for weary pilgrims, the sick and the injured. The hospice, established by Christian merchants from Amalfi, chose St John the Baptist as its Patron Saint and adopted the eight-pointed White Cross of Amalfi as its emblem. It became known as the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem.

Today the Maltese Cross, as it became known, is seen worldwide on ambulances. The four arms of this emblem represent the four cardinal virtues: Prudence, Temperance, Justice and Fortitude and its eight points represent the Eight Beatitudes: the blessedness of the merciful, the pure, the peacemakers, the persecuted, the humble, the comforters, the meek and the righteous. The cross is coloured white to represent purity.

For centuries St John was headquartered in Rhodes and later in Malta where it continued its role operating major hospitals and protecting the sick and the poor. The religious Order continued to be based in Rome, where it remains to this day. The Order of St. John flourished across Europe. In about 1140, its Knights in Britain built their headquarters in Clerkenwell, London. The Order continued to prosper in Britain until Henry VIII's time when he confiscated all the lands and property that had been donated to St John over the years, and dissolved the Order. However, devoted St John knights vowed to continue their work.

In early 19th century England St John followers re-established an active St John presence. Soon afterwards volunteers provided ambulance and First Aid services, especially during regal processions and important public occasions. As a result, a Royal Charter was granted to the Order in 1888 by Queen Victoria, thus bestowing on St John the status of a Royal Order of Chivalry. Today St John is active in many countries around the world.

Our official title is The Priory in Australia of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem. Each year at Government House the Governor presides over the annual Investiture ceremony when new members of the Order are acknowledged. There are more than 450 Knights, Dames and serving Brothers and Sisters of the St John Order in Victoria.

The fundamental role of St John Ambulance is like that of the Good Samaritan: offering assistance without thought of reward. Nowhere is this more evident than in the work of the First Aid Volunteers, who, dressed in the familiar black and white uniforms, provide First Aid at many sporting events, festivals and other public occasions, where they treat hundreds of people. The care we give ranges from a simple band aid to life saving work CPR and defibrillation.

Throughout Victoria and its regional centres there are more than 2,771 trained First Aid Volunteers who attend over 6,000 events, treating more than 13,000 casualties annually.

St John is largely self-funded, a fact not generally known. Thus we greatly appreciate the enlightened generosity of corporate and philanthropic sponsors and private donors to maintain our ambulance fleet and to keep our Volunteers properly trained, so that they are available for any emergency or service to the Victorian community.

The Order in Australia

St John Ambulance Australia is technically a Priory of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem. The Order of St John has more than 2,500 members in Australia, around 450 of whom come from Victoria. It is headed by the Queen's representatives in Australia - the Governor General, and the Governors of each State.

The Mottos of the Order are:

Pro Utilitate Hominum (In the Service of Humanity)
Pro Fide (For the Faith)