by Doug Ashbury
Northern News Services

NNSL (Sep 17/97) - The North, because of its remoteness and often unforgiving climate, requires a large number of people with first aid training. Over the years, Northerners have obliged.

Since coming to the North 25 years ago, St. John Ambulance, a charity service of volunteers, has issued more than 74,000 certificates in health care, safety and emergency first aid.

"Such large numbers of qualified people are needed if we are to keep accidental loss of life, suffering and medical costs to a minimum," said Brian McCluskey, NWT St. John Ambulance council spokesperson.

"On a per capital basis, the NWT has more people first-aid trained than any of the southern provinces."

And though the NWT council, with the provincial councils, uses nationally recognized standard training programs, the NWT council has delivered training tailored to the North's unique requirements, he said.

Leaps and bounds

In its first five years, NWT St. John Ambulance translated training materials into seven aboriginal languages and dialects.

And in 1979, with financial assistance from a three-year Donner Foundation grant, NWT St. John Ambulance was able to accelerate an aboriginal instructor qualification program.

This meant 5,000 Northerners in remote communities had training in health care and first aid, McCluskey said.

One of the most interesting projects of the NWT chapter is the 40-day survival cairns, established in 12 High Arctic locations in 1976. Within two years, the joint venture with the Franklin Probe Foundation saved the life of a lost hunter.

The cairns contain equipment and supplies necessary for survival.

"The cairns are still in place, ready for use, if the need arises," McCluskey said.

10 years of medevacs

He also cited the NWT St. John Ambulance Western Arctic medevac service, which ran from 1985 to 1995.

With an air charter service, patients were transported from isolated communities to larger medical centres while under care of trained St. John Ambulance nurses.

"This service was unique in Canada for a St. John council," McCluskey said.

These services, and many others, are part of St. John Ambulance's quarter century of service in the North -- an investiture and 25th anniversary ball is slated Saturday.

1,000 years of service

Though its history is relatively short in the North, the organization began in Europe almost 1,000 years ago.

It is the oldest charity in the world, beginning in the 11th century with Benedictine monks caring for the sick and injured in Jerusalem.

The founding monks of the Order of St. John became known as the Brothers of the Hospital of St. John.

European knights came to the aid of fellow Christians and joined the monks under the banner of the eight-pointed white cross, the St. John Ambulance symbol. Those engaged in military activities became the Knights of St. John.

The white cross was originally the symbol of the merchants of the Italian republic of Amalfi. Merchants there had built a hospital and church for pilgrims in 1023.

Benedictine monks served at the hospital and took the Amalfi cross as their symbol.

The military work ended in 1798 with Napoleon's capture of Malta, the knight's stronghold. Charitable work continued, however, and was heightened with the Franco-Prussian War in 1870.

First aid services needed

The need for trained personnel lead to the formation of the St. John Ambulance Association in 1877 in England. In Canada, the St. John Ambulance Association began courses in Quebec in 1882.

Then, with railway, mining, lumber and construction industries on the rise, so too were accidents and the need for the St. John Ambulance grew.

Two world wars expanded the organization's services further and in Canada, councils were established in each province.

The Alberta council provided training to the NWT from 1946.

But in 1972, then NWT Commissioner Stu Hodgson said the North should have its own council as need was expanding.

The NWT charter council met in June of 1972 with Hodgson as honorary president. The NWT St. John Ambulance's brigade component -- the uniformed volunteers -- was established in November 1974.

On the international stage, McCluskey noted St. John Ambulance's London district was on duty for Princess Diana's funeral procession.