| Order of Malta in recruitment drive for volunteers |
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| Thursday, 02 October 2008 | |
 The Order of Malta Ambulance Corps in Blackrock is looking for enthusiastic new volunteers to join their ranks as they re-launch the service.The corps is a major provider of first aid training, ambulance transport and community care in most of the major cities and towns throughout Ireland. Their Blackrock branch, which is currently in the process of moving to Dún Laoghaire, has launched a volunteer recruitment drive, as they want to rebuild their membership. The Order of Malta volunteers provide transport for people with disabilities and older people to hospitals, day care centres, church services and social functions. In addition, they provide ambulance and first aid cover at all major race meetings, and numerous sporting events. This year, the Blackrock branch provided first aid and ambulance standby cover at the Festival of World Cultures in Dún Laoghaire and at the Oxygen music festival at Punchestown racecourse. John Keaveny (57), who first joined the Order in 1970 still serves as a Health and Safety Officer with the Blackrock branch. He stressed the importance of volunteers to the service. “The volunteers are important to us to perform the function of first aid and for some of the charity works,” he said. “We also hope that in joining us it will instil some confidence in people as well. “Some of the young people that come down are very shy. After a year with us you can see them come out of themselves and build their own confidence. We do some national first aid competitions and that gives them a bit of a challenge. “We try to give them responsibility for jobs with the unit itself,” he added. “We try to develop them into public first aid instructors. Again, by doing that they come into contact with the public and that builds up their confidence as well.” John explained how the Order of Malta teaches members of the public to perform first aid and CPR. “One of our big pushes at the moment in Blackrock is the education of the general public,” he said. “Most of the contact we have the public is through first aid classes and CPR.” Wendy Crimmins (18) who has been a member of the Blackrock branch since she was just 15 years of age spoke about the fun side of working with the Order of Malta. “It is the anticipation of working up to something and doing the different training days that I enjoy,” she revealed. “Every week, you are learning new things all the time. Then you get to go out and meet other units and take part in different competitions.” She added: “It is really loads of fun and a great opportunity for people to enjoy themselves.” In 1938, the Order of Malta established a unit in Galway to provide first aid, ambulance and casualty services in Connacht. Today the order is a nationally based organisation split into unit areas, and structured into nine regions. Anyone who is interested in becoming a volunteer or who would like to find out more about the Order of Malta in Blackrock, contact them on 0872384617. |
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Developed by Kevin Flynn