St John Ambulance volunteer recognised for 26 years helping the community

One of St John Harvey’s most valued volunteers, Arthur Hall, has been recognised for his dedication and commitment to the community for the past 26 years. Mr Hall was the subject of a special presentation recognising his achievements within the organisation and wishing him well as he retires from on-road duty. Mr Hall said he was grateful for the recognition. “It’s something you don’t expect, it’s something you don’t work for, you just do your job,” he said. “But it’s something that I’m going to really appreciate.” Mr Hall said he would be stepping down from on-road duty, but is still actively volunteering in the station. He said he started volunteering in 1977 because of his wife and “right hand man” Gayle. “She said I’ll join the ambulance if you follow,” he said. “She stayed on for about six years and then joined the committee for a little while, but she stayed my right hand man all the way through” Mr Hall said in the past 26 years Gayle has always been there to support him. “If I went out on night jobs, she’d sit up all night and wait for me to come home,” he said. “if I didn’t get home until five o’clock in the morning, she’d tell me about all the good movies she was watching.” In his time volunteering, Mr Hall has been formally acknowledged as a life member of the Harvey Sub Centre, promoted to an officer of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem and awarded the 3rd Bar to his St John Ambulance Service Medal. St John WA volunteer Paul Beech said Arthur would be hard to replace on the road, describing him as a great calming influence who he never saw rattled. “Arthur is one of the more highly decorated people we’ve got in the organisation,” he said. “His recognition is well deserved and doesn’t come lightly.” Fellow St John WA volunteer Julie Minzen said Arthur will continue to help the community. “Everybody knows Arthur, there is a lot that he can share and give confidence to people and tell them stories,’ she said. Between his cattle, horses, gardening at St. Anne’s school and continuing to volunteer at St John in Harvey, Mr Hall expects to stay busy. However, he said he will really miss the on-road ambulance duties. “It’s been a really good experience,” he said. “I have enjoyed immensely giving back to the community and working with the other volunteers and paramedics.”