Broken Hill residents and St John Ambulance volunteers Paul Mackinder and Blake Edgecombe were two of just 20 members across the state awarded The Order of St John at Government House in Sydney last Wednesday (May 3) at the NSW St John Ambulance Investiture Ceremony in recognition for going above and beyond to devote their time, effort, and expertise helping others.
Membership within The Order of St John is an honour sanctioned by the Governor-General on behalf of The Order’s Sovereign Head, King Charles III.
Mr Mackinder joined as a Cadet in 1992 and is now Superintendent at the Broken Hill Division, while Mr Edgecombe joined Broken Hill Cadet Division in 2010 and is a Grand Prior Cadet who was awarded the Peter Falkland trophy for Youth Leader of the Year in 2020.
Mr Mackinder was deployed to support communities through the 2019 and 2020 bushfires and uses his professional knowledge to do training for both St John Ambulance Broken Hill Division and our city’s Cadet Division.
Admitted in the Order to the Grade of Member, Mr Mackinder has performed over 2600 hours of service at public events and over 1900 hours of administrative and logistical support.
Mr Edgecombe is an assistant e-learning coordinator for the State Training Operations team, and also a member of the management team in his division.
Admitted in the Order to the Grade of Member, Mr Edgecombe has provided over 2000 hours of service at public events in addition to over 2200 hours of administration, fundraising, training, and e-learning activities.
Chief Executive Officer of NSW St John Ambulance Sarah Lance said that volunteers are the heart of the organisation and help to build safer and more resilient communities.
“These volunteers have made significant contributions to their communities through their ongoing dedication to St John Ambulance. We are proud to recognise them and the incredible impacts they continue to make.
To find out more about St John Ambulance NSW or to become a volunteer, call 1300 360 455 or visit stjohnnsw.com.au
