Hato Hone St John - South Otago

20/06/2025

This week we celebrated the incredible volunteers who give their time, heart, and energy across South Otago.

From the ambulance crews who respond day and night, to the therapy pets and their humans bringing comfort and smiles, to our caring callers checking in on people who need a friendly voice and to those behind the scenes on area committees making it all possible. Thank you!

You are the backbone of our Hato Hone St John community, and what you do matters more than words can say.

Ngā mihi nui to each and every one of you. We see you. We appreciate you. We’re proud to stand alongside you.

14/06/2025

🌟 St John Balclutha’s First Annual Appeal Window Display Competition 🌟

A huge thank you to all the wonderful local businesses who got involved in our very first window display competition! We’ve loved seeing the creativity and how you’ve lit up Balclutha for St John.

Congratulations to Bates Pharmacy, our 2025 winner! 🏆 Your display was a standout, and we’re so grateful for your support.

Special mention to Balclutha Family Store, Guthrie Bowron and Powerzone Motorcycles for their wonderful entries! We can’t wait to do it all again next year!

03/06/2025

They say money doesn’t grow on trees… unless you’re a golfer with bad aim!

Thanks again to Balclutha Golf Club for their continued support in donating your money tree funds to St John Clutha. Much appreciated!

16/04/2025

You might spot a bit more action than usual around our Balclutha station soon with renovations set to begin at the end of the month!

Rest assured, we’ll remain fully operational during this time. The crew may even find the time to snap some great pics, like this one from our talented volunteer, Liv!

Reception will be closed from Friday 18th April and will reopen in its new temporary space on Monday 28th April, just follow the arrows when you visit.

20/03/2025

Reminder about our FREE child first aid course coming up next week!

See the below post for more details.

Free Child First Aid Course - In Partnership with Balclutha Parents Centre

📅 When: Thursday 27th March, 9:00am - 1:30pm
📍 Where: Balclutha Parent Centre. 12 Pearson Lane, Balclutha.

👶🩹 Do you look after children? Whether you're a parent, grandparent, or caregiver, this course is for you!

Join us at the Balclutha Parent Centre for a free Child First Aid course. Learn essential skills to help keep children safe, from CPR to handling common injuries and emergencies.

This course is open to anyone over 14 years old and children under 5 are welcome to come along and enjoy the facilities. Don’t forget to pack them a lunch! 🍎🥪

Spaces are limited, so register today by emailing southotago.ac@stjohn.org.nz

For more details on the course, click the link below:
https://buy.stjohn.org.nz/first-aid-training/public-courses/first-aid/child-first-aid/ %20Information

04/02/2025

Free Child First Aid Course - In Partnership with Balclutha Parents Centre

📅 When: Thursday 27th March, 9:00am - 1:30pm
📍 Where: Balclutha Parent Centre. 12 Pearson Lane, Balclutha.

👶🩹 Do you look after children? Whether you're a parent, grandparent, or caregiver, this course is for you!

Join us at the Balclutha Parent Centre for a free Child First Aid course. Learn essential skills to help keep children safe, from CPR to handling common injuries and emergencies.

This course is open to anyone over 14 years old and children under 5 are welcome to come along and enjoy the facilities. Don’t forget to pack them a lunch! 🍎🥪

Spaces are limited, so register today by emailing southotago.ac@stjohn.org.nz

For more details on the course, click the link below:
https://buy.stjohn.org.nz/first-aid-training/public-courses/first-aid/child-first-aid/ %20Information

02/02/2025

The Next Balclutha Mental Health First Aid course funded by PowerNet is 18th March and filling up fast, so please jump online now as per link below and secure your seat.

This course gives you simple everyday life skills and tools to deal with mental health. These learnings could help yourself or hopefully give you the confidence to support a colleague or a loved one, if there is a need 👍

https://powernet.co.nz/about-us/community/?fbclid=IwY2xjawIGPnNleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHSJ7hOmkI0ZvJKuxPoXxPwxqj1bGNsD5E7ir19_qVSfIkoC4cwUR8VylQA_aem_fbtNXAA_gpwQXYguwo2TrA

Since 2014, PowerNet and St John have had an amazing partnership. The Mental Health First Aid courses continue our joint vision to improve our communities’ health and safety outcomes.

30/01/2025

🐾 Attention, Pets! 🐾

Do you have well-mannered humans who love meeting new people? We’re looking for friendly animals and their hairless companions to join our Therapy Pets Team and bring joy to residents at rest homes and students at schools! 💖

If your humans are calm, friendly, and love to spread happiness, we want to hear from you! (Bonus points if they know how to follow directions and not steal treats!) 😜🐾

Interested? Tell your humans to email us at southotago.ac@stjohn.org.nz or scan the QR code in the image to learn more about how you can get involved! 📩

13/01/2025

We are so very thankful to the team at PowerNet for their ongoing funding of our Mental Health First Aid Courses across Southland, Otago and Central

💛 Next Balclutha course is 18th March and filling up, so please jump online now as per link below and secure your seat

This course gives you simple everyday life skills and tools to deal with mental health. These learnings could help yourself or hopefully give you the confidence to support a colleague or a loved one, if there is a need 👍

Since 2014, PowerNet and St John have had an amazing partnership. The Mental Health First Aid courses continue our joint vision to improve our communities’ health and safety outcomes.

02/12/2024

Youth Leaders Needed!
We're looking for an awesome volunteer to lead our youth in Milton! Be part of a team where young people learn first aid, leadership, and life skills while building lifelong friendships.
Our cadets meet once a week during term time to learn, connect, and most importantly, have FUN! 🎉 With tailored programmes for different age groups, there’s something for everyone.
Scan the QR code to learn more and join the adventure! 🚑✨

20/11/2024

Do you want to be part of something awesome and make a difference in the community? St John Cadets in Milton are looking for passionate individuals to lead our youth programme.

We need a Divisional Manager and an Assistant Divisional Manager to inspire and foster interest in young people in our community. This is a fantastic opportunity to develop leadership skills, work with an amazing team, and make a positive impact on the lives of the next generation.

If you're ready to take on a rewarding challenge and help shape the future of St John Cadets in Milton, we want to hear from you!

Apply today!

https://jobs.smartrecruiters.com/HatoHoneStJohn/6000000000134880-divisional-youth-manager-milton?trid=0c2290ab-dbec-4ab3-91b1-9b72a4304801

https://jobs.smartrecruiters.com/HatoHoneStJohn/6000000000134890-assistant-divisional-manager-milton?trid=0c2290ab-dbec-4ab3-91b1-9b72a4304801

14/10/2024

**Join Our Pet Therapy Team!**

We are seeking expressions of interest for our fantastic local Pet Therapy Team, which currently visits rest homes and local schools.

As our goal is to expand our READ programme in schools, we are ideally looking for calm, friendly dogs that enjoy interacting with children. However, if schools don't suit you and your furry friend but you are interested in volunteering, we would love to chat about what we can achieve together!

This is a wonderful opportunity to help young readers gain confidence in a supportive environment. We ask for a commitment of approximately one session every fortnight, though additional sessions are welcome if you’re able.

If you have a suitable dog and are interested in making a positive difference in our community, we would love to hear from you!

Please email southotago.ac@stjohn.org.nz if you are interested or visit the below link for more information about Therapy Pets.

Therapy Pets is our heart-warming volunteer service bringing animal friends together with people in healthcare facilities, libraries, schools and community locations.