ST JOHN NT
NEWSROOM

St John NT has appointed Marion Scrymgour and Mark Coffey to its Board at its Annual General Meeting yesterday.

Ms Scrymgour is a highly respected leader and Chief Executive Officer of the Northern Land Council. Formerly, she has held roles as the CEO of the Tiwi Islands Regional Council and 11 years as a member of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly.  She has extensive experience of working with community groups, government administration and non-profit organisations.

Mr Coffey is an experienced senior executive based in Alice Springs with a deep understanding of regional and remote Australia. Through his consultancy, Mr Coffey currently assists organisations to navigate government, manage change and improve organisational management. He has extensive experience as a Board member and is also currently on the Boards of the Connellan Airways Trust, NT Parole Board and Netball Northern Territory.

St John NT Chair Peter Carew said the new Board members brought a wealth of experience, particularly in dealing with regional and remote issues, to the St John NT Board as business and community leaders.

“Now more than ever we need to think outside the box in how we approach our commercial activities and support our community. I am sure that both Marion and Mark’s skills and expertise will enhance the talent of our existing Board members and help drive the development of new strategic goals for the organisation.”

In welcoming in new members, Mr Carew also thanked out going Board member Fran Kilgariff.

“It is with the greatest respect that I thank Fran Kilgariff who leaves the St John NT Board after 16 years. Fran has a long history of community involvement, her commitment and leadership has been an invaluable asset to St John NT.”

Ms Kilgariff was formally recognised for her commitment to St John last month at an Investiture ceremony in Alice Springs where she was awarded a Volunteer Service Medal.

At the Annual General Meeting, St John NT reported that several areas of its commercial operations had been impacted by COVID-19 restrictions including closure of its First Aid Training from April to June, cancellation of public events at which Event Health Services would have provided first aid support and loss in work directed towards its mechanical workshop.

While other departments experienced a drop in revenue, COVID-19 drove demand for personal protective equipment and other first aid supplies.

As a self-funded charity, St John NT’s volunteer program is primarily supported through commercial activities, grants and donations.

Despite the loss in revenue Mr Carew said that the organisation was well placed to manage its response to the coronavirus.

“As the leading provider of first aid and ambulance services in the Northern Territory we have been able to reorganise our operations, review our strategies and stay in touch with the situation to ensure that we could continue to deliver a premium service to our community while managing our resources and corporate governance responsibilities.

“While managing our organisation through an extremely challenging period, we have cemented our role as a frontline emergency service provider, working with the Northern Territory Government and the Department of Health to ensure the safety of the community. The willingness and enthusiasm of our volunteers and staff to adjust to the situation is encouraging and I know that we are all in good hands.”

St John NT remains in a sound fiscal position and is committed to the development of a new strategic plan including a sustainable business model to take St John NT, its staff and volunteers into the future.

Image caption: New St John NT Board member Marion Scrymgour