Sing Their Praises

In 2022, St John WA celebrated 100 years of providing an ambulance service to Western Australia. As a part of those celebrations, it was important to recognise the thousands of paramedics, ambulance officers, State Operation Centre communications officers and volunteers who have worked tirelessly together to save countless lives over the decades.

To St John, it’s the individuals on the frontline who help make WA St John Strong.

Here’s how St John sang the praises of its ambulance service

A call was put out to find those in the community who had been helped by St John WA first responders over the years. St John asked them to share their extraordinary rescue stories and take part in a special performance to say 'thank you' to emergency service crews.

In collaboration with the Perth Symphonic Chorus, St John assembled a local choir joined by those members of the community who had been aided by St John crews. The collaborative choir rehearsed a special number to sing praises to the people who helped their lives as part of a big performance reveal at St John’s annual Recognition Ceremony.

The St John WA Recognition Ceremony recognises exceptional and outstanding service by its paid ambulance personnel each year, which hadn’t been celebrated face-to-face for two years due to COVID-19.

In the lead up to the performance, the paramedics, ambulance officers, communications officers and community volunteers who were connected with the choir’s stories of survival were also invited to attend the September 20 ceremony.

For St John first responders who answer multiple emergency calls a day, reuniting them with the people they save isn’t always possible but the stories of patients still make a heartfelt impact by showing how their everyday efforts improve the lives of West Australians.

After a record 353 frontline staff were acknowledged at the ceremony and received their awards, the audience was in for a treat.

The Recognition Ceremony officiator Di Darmody introduced a short film about an extraordinary rescue story and shared the behind-the-scenes rehearsal and preparation of the St John WA ‘Unsung Legends Choir’ choir which awaited.

With the audience primed, the St John WA ‘Unsung Legends Choir’ filed in and gave a performance full of emotion and gratitude. The heartfelt thanks to the people who helped them brought tears to the crowd.