ST JOHN NT
NEWSROOM

Almost 1000 hours of volunteer dedication has been recognised through a St John NT award.

The Richard Morris Community Spirit Award is given to St John NT volunteers who openly display a great community spirit. The award is presented to volunteers who have contributed a significant amount of their time at events for both the Greater Darwin region and other regions in the NT.  These volunteers are positive role models for St John in their community.

The commitment from volunteers to their communities is always significant and this year we congratulate Val Eaton from Palmerston Adult Division and Kayla Henniger from Alice Springs Adult Division as the recipients for the Richard Morris Community Spirit Award.

Val started volunteering with St John NT in the aftermath of Cyclone Marcus in 2017 as a way to support the community. Her passion for keeping Territorians safe is evident through her supportive guiding and mentoring of St John NT Youth volunteers both at training and during events.

Val plays an essential role in creating a more resilient and safe community, attending community duties most weekends in the Darwin region.  Her commitment to training and development makes her a leader amongst her peers, inspiring them to continually better themselves and develop their skills.

Val has recently taken on a second volunteer role with St John as a Community Educator, providing first aid education sessions to school aged children through the St John NT First Aid in Schools program.

Kayla has been volunteering with St John NT in Alice Springs since 2019. An active and supportive Division member, she quickly progressed from First Aider to First Responder with hopes of becoming an Advanced Responder this year.

This year Kayla has stepped into a divisional member position in our Alice Springs Cadet Division, assisting our Cadets with their learning on divisional nights and most recently as Team Manager for NT Cadet Competitions.

She is an integral part of planning activities and assisting our cadets getting to events. Kayla’s commitment to both the adult division and cadet division is evident from her hours she has committed to the Alice Springs community and educating our next generation of St John Volunteers.

“To have completed this many hours last year when many events were cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions is especially remarkable.” St John NT Director of Volunteers Annette Plowman stated.

“We congratulate both our winners for their admirable contribution to St John NT volunteers and their communities. We also thank all of our other volunteers in various roles across the Territory for your ongoing commitment. We are so grateful for your dedication and know that we wouldn’t be able to care so well for our communities without you.”

The winners will be flown to the St John Experience 2021 Conference in Western Australia later this year.

This Award was named in honour of Mr Richard Morris AM KStJ, the first Chairman of the Board of St John NT from 1977- 2000 and was instrumental in ensuring that St John became the leader in first aid services and pre-hospital care.

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The award recipients are available to speak to media.

Media enquiries: Kate Hulls 0428 157 762 or media@stjohnnt.asn.au

images: Val stands next to a volunteer ambulance.

Kayla performs CPR on a manikin as part of the 2021 Cadet Competitions.