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Katikati St. John Ambulance service
Organisation Details
DescriptionThe very first ambulance was a converted Austin which had seen service in World War 1. It was donated by Bertie Fenn and was placed into service in 1942. This ambulance was managed by the Home Guard Medical Corps and driven by members of the Baker family as well as Bertie himself. After World War 2, the Katikati branch of the St. John Ambulance Association took over the running of the service and in 1949, a new ambulance, a Ford Mercury V8, was purchased by the community. By 1959, it needed to be replaced and by 1961 a newly purchased International was in service. By this time the brigade had a home, sharing facilities with the local volunteer fire brigade, the fire station having been completed and opened in 1955.
The Katikati Advertiser announced in February 1971 that another new ambulance was on its way to the station in Katikati. This one was a Dodge and was on the road in Katikati until 1986, when its replacement arrived. The floor in the station had to be lowered to accommodate the higher roof, and the vehicle itself is more recognisable as a modern ambulance. It was a Bedford automatic and was pronounced a dream to drive, according to brigade members.
Changes in the St. John Ambulance constitution in 1987 meant that the Bay of Plenty region disappeared and came under the Waikato jurisdiction. Along with the name of the region, the Brigade and the Association disappeared as a function, to be replaced by a committee under the name of St. John Katikati.
By 1990, the St. John Ambulance station needed to move to larger premises. Diggelmann Park was considered for development but the St. John Resource Centre was eventually built along Beach Road just in time to house the new Ford Transit ambulance which arrived in 1997. The old station alongside the Fire Station was demolished in 1996.
In 2005, study rooms which could double as sleeping quarters were added to the existing building to make it easier for those volunteers who were on call to stay at the station if they wished, drastically cutting down the time that it took to attend an incident. By this time there were two ambulances and as a result of successful fundraising at Katikati, a second full time, paid ambulance officer was recruited in 2006 and Katikati also realised the goal of having a "24/7" ambulance service locally.
Funding for two more paid staff was approved in 2010, and in 2011 the move to the new site at Sheffield Street was discussed. Fund raising the $800,000 needed began in earnest in 2014, and the present site was eventually built and opened in 2017.
The Archives Room at Katikati Public Library has a wealth of information about Katikati St. John - if you are interested in accessing this, let us know via this site's contact form - be sure to refer to folder #215.
WebsiteSt. John New Zealand
The Katikati Advertiser announced in February 1971 that another new ambulance was on its way to the station in Katikati. This one was a Dodge and was on the road in Katikati until 1986, when its replacement arrived. The floor in the station had to be lowered to accommodate the higher roof, and the vehicle itself is more recognisable as a modern ambulance. It was a Bedford automatic and was pronounced a dream to drive, according to brigade members.
Changes in the St. John Ambulance constitution in 1987 meant that the Bay of Plenty region disappeared and came under the Waikato jurisdiction. Along with the name of the region, the Brigade and the Association disappeared as a function, to be replaced by a committee under the name of St. John Katikati.
By 1990, the St. John Ambulance station needed to move to larger premises. Diggelmann Park was considered for development but the St. John Resource Centre was eventually built along Beach Road just in time to house the new Ford Transit ambulance which arrived in 1997. The old station alongside the Fire Station was demolished in 1996.
In 2005, study rooms which could double as sleeping quarters were added to the existing building to make it easier for those volunteers who were on call to stay at the station if they wished, drastically cutting down the time that it took to attend an incident. By this time there were two ambulances and as a result of successful fundraising at Katikati, a second full time, paid ambulance officer was recruited in 2006 and Katikati also realised the goal of having a "24/7" ambulance service locally.
Funding for two more paid staff was approved in 2010, and in 2011 the move to the new site at Sheffield Street was discussed. Fund raising the $800,000 needed began in earnest in 2014, and the present site was eventually built and opened in 2017.
The Archives Room at Katikati Public Library has a wealth of information about Katikati St. John - if you are interested in accessing this, let us know via this site's contact form - be sure to refer to folder #215.
WebsiteSt. John New Zealand
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Western Bay of Plenty Community Archives (24th Apr 2020). Katikati St. John Ambulance service. In Website Western Bay of Plenty Community Archives. Retrieved 22nd Jan 2021 04:37, from https://westernbay.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/1441