St John Ambulance commemorates 42nd anniversary

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FOR SERVICE OF MANKIND: The contingents of 596 volunteers assemble at the parade.

KUCHING: St John Ambulance (SJA) Sarawak commemorated its 42nd anniversary with a parade held at the Jubilee Ground here yesterday.

SJA Sarawak chairman and commander Dato Ang Lai Soon officiated at the parade.

“Our 42nd anniversary is an occasion which all in St John Ambulance Sarawak have every reason to be proud of. I am proud to say the selfless dedication of all our personnel has not only fulfilled the promise of the motto of St John Ambulance, ‘For the Service of Mankind’, but also enable SJA Sarawak to expand and flourish,” he said in his speech yesterday.

Ang also suggested that non-government organisations (NGOs) such as SJA have a primary role in Malaysia’s nation building.

As a voluntary service, the members of the organisation practise and not merely preach the value of service to society without any discrimination as long as they are in need.

He urged members of SJA to always look to the future despite being able to look on the past 42 years with some satisfaction.

He thanked both past and present members and officers for their dedication to SJA for the last four decades.

Over 596 participants forming 20 contingents from over 14 schools were present in the parade.

DATO SRI ANG LAI SOON

Living with a purpose through service

DATO SRI ANG LAI SOON, chairman and commander at the St John Ambulance Sarawak shares his thoughts on the organisation’s 42nd anniversary

“I must justify my own existence in this rather crowded and complicated world”

An anniversary is always a time for reflection, yet it is a minute milestone in the passage of fleeting time against the backdrop of the millennia of our universe.

Our forty-second anniversary is an occasion which all in St John ambulance Sarawak have every reason to be proud.

In a moment of nostalgia, I managed to find an article in the Sarawak Tribune on June 4, 1971, the day after our founding.

The newspaper wrote ‘A new chapter is written today (3 June 1971) in the field of welfare and voluntary service’.

That we have written the first forty-two years of that chapter so successfully is a tribute to everyone in our organisation.

I am proud to say the selfless dedication of all our personnel has not only fulfilled the promise of the motto of St John Ambulance, ‘For The Service Of Mankind’, but also enabled SJA Sarawak to expand and flourish.

I said on our Founding Day all those forty years ago, that ‘the most remarkable thing (about our organisation with its origins tracing back to 600AD) is the way it has adapted to the modern world while keeping so much of the ancient tradition and ceremony.’

Just as we are doing and will continue to do so in Sarawak.

The amount of time we have been operating here pales in comparison with that of our parent organisations, SJAA and SJAB , thousands of miles away from here, which were formed by Royal Charter in 1888.

No one can look ahead with certainly another forty-two years, but I am confident that by then our organisation will cover most of Sarawak’s population centres.

Indeed, I see that as our main challenge and goal at present.

In this, the increasing number of young people in SJA Sarawak augers well for our ability to grow and meet the needs of a much wider public and over wider areas than at present.

I would suggest such non-government organisations (NGOs) as ours have a primary role in Malaysia’s nation building.

Our members practise, not merely preach, the value of service to our society without reservation to any person in need of   the services we provide.

Our members seek no reward whatsoever, other than the satisfaction   of helping others and in becoming proficient in administering first aid and nursing in all its forms.

Our members take pride in aiming to treat everyone as an individual and with equal importance, irrespective of their gender, age, ethnicity, social status, creed, political affiliations.

In short, we aim to work for the common good, which is the hall mark of responsible citizenry and a caring nation.

In my overseas travels, I have never failed to be impressed by the number of mature citizens who do voluntary work of every kind, especially in work where they can use their education and skills learned and acquired during their career.

Those I have spoken to always say it is about putting something back into their society to which they owe so much, because it is their society that has given them an education and their opportunities in life and provided a peaceful/stable environment.

Also they would often tell me that they find voluntary work gives a real purpose to their lives outside the home, extends their social circle, keeps them in touch with people of all generations, and up to date with social changes.

They speak of the ‘feel good’ aspect of helping society through social work.

Often, they mention their good fortune in living in a stable safe environment compared with so many less fortunate in so many places in the present day in this rather unstable world.

In developed countries, there is more respect for volunteers than for people from other walks of life.

Why? Because basically a true volunteer works  not for himself or herself but rather for the common good ,without any expectation of any form of reward, be it monetary benefits or recognition.

If anyone is looking for them, then St John Ambulance is obviously the wrong choice.

One person asked me years ago:  “What do I get if I   become a volunteer?’

I said “I promise you nothing, but personal sacrifice and hard work, and sometimes sleepless nights and irregular meal times, if you happen to be head of the NGO!”

He said “I always thought I can get something if I give my time to charity work.”

He joined us for a while but as expected, left after a short period.

I know that in Sarawak we have many in our society who give their time and energy in voluntary work with our non-profit organisations and charities.

But I do think there is still a large untapped pool of people who would enjoy and who are needed for voluntary work here in those organisations which play such an essential role in our society.

So I would like to suggest that we raise this with people we know who have time to spare and skills to share, for their own and society’s benefit.

Not every need in an increasingly sophisticated society can be met by tax- payer funding without onerous taxation.

There are always those in need through no fault of their own, and voluntary organisations are an intrinsic recognised part of every modern society.

We in SJA welcome volunteers to help us serve ‘peoples of all religions, races, and professions’, to quote from what I said on our founding day. And provide an environment that offers a form of satisfaction and well being in helping others.

Although we in St John Ambulance Sarawak can look on the past 42 years with some satisfaction, SJA Sarawak must always be looking to the future.

SJA Sarawak has to meet the needs of a growing population and keep up with rapidly changing technology and medical techniques.

Thanks to our members, both past and present, we have a stable successful organisation and can look to the future with confidence.

For myself, I always remind myself that, first and foremost, I must justify my own existence in this rather crowded and complicated world.

With me around the world is one too many.

I must, therefore, endeavour to contribute my best to society and the country at large.

I must not ever work simply for myself, but for the common good.

This, I have been trying ever since my school and college days. I have no other profession but voluntary and charity work. I always realise that I am only passing through.