By Jessica Micallef
A Sunbury family is keeping its St John Ambulance volunteering tradition well and truly alive.
Allan, Glenn, and Kaitlyn Wilson work with St John throughout the Sunbury and Macedon Ranges. Allan said he had been with the organisation for nearly four decades, following in the footsteps of his father, George.
“It would’ve been about 1980, for me,” Allan said. “Dad was in it for many years before that … I used to go with him on some of the St John duties when I was a kid.”
Glenn started volunteering in 2012 through a school program at Sunbury College.
His sister, Kaitlyn, has been with the organisation for a year.
For Glenn, volunteering is about more than duty – it is enjoyable and satisfying.
“We knew that dad and grandpa were in it, so I thought it would be interesting to see what they did and we’ve really enjoyed it,” he said. “We get to go out on events with Kaitlyn, we go to the Gisborne Market and a lot of Sunbury local events.”
Glenn said that while helping people was the most rewarding aspect of volunteering, he also appreciated the education he received.
“It’s not all life or death,” he said. “It’s even just helping someone … a Band-Aid or cleaning up a wound. There’s a lot of professional development opportunities as well, so a lot of our members get guaranteed access into their courses … it also helps them, with the experience and the knowledge they gain.”
