Our beginnings
St John NT is directly linked to the The Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem which is a long established global organisation that can trace its roots back over 900 years.
St John Ambulance started in Australia on 13 June 1883 when the St John Ambulance Association centre opened in Melbourne. The St John Ambulance Brigade began as a volunteer organisation in Darwin in late 1952. We have been serving the NT community ever since, ensuring that members of the public have access to First Aid services at a range of community and public events.
The St John Darwin Division took responsibility for operating the local ambulance service in the wake of Cyclone Tracy in 1974. From there we increased our services across other population centres as the Northern Territory moved towards self-government in 1978, and became the Road Ambulance service provider of the Northern Territory on behalf of the Government.
The Order of St John
As a major international charity, the Order of St John is accredited to the United Nations, whose organisations provide first aid, healthcare and support services in over 40 countries around the world.
The Order’s charitable work is carried out by the St John Eye Hospital Group in Jerusalem and St John Ambulance organisations worldwide – with volunteers and staff of over 400,000.
The Order itself is an Order of Chivalry of the British Crown with 25,000 members around the world.
The Administrator of the Northern Territory is recognised as the Deputy Prior of the Order of St John in the Northern Territory.
The Amalfi Cross with heraldic beasts represents the history of St John Ambulance and directly links our organisation to St John worldwide.
Read more at St John International
