Community Life Magazine March13

A DAY IN THE LIFE ...
Born and bred in Bedford – a builder,
carpenter and qualified surveyor by
trade, Victor Hulatt, 71, has dedicated a
huge part of his life to service with St. John
Ambulance.
Now the divisional superintendent in charge of
Bedford Pilgrim Division, he is as passionate today as
the day he joined and very much believes in what St.
John stands for.
St. John is a voluntary organisation set up in 1887
with the Queen as the sovereign head of the order.
They are committed to making sure more people
can be the difference between a life lost and a life
saved and dedicated to providing care to those
who need it. The first presence of St. John as most
people know them was at Queen Victoria’s jubilee
in 1887 but the history of St. John goes right back to
the Christian crusaders and humanitarians who ran
hospices as resting places for
pilgrims.
Victor joined when he was
just 7 years old. Both older
brothers were members
and his Father was an ex member. Starting as a
probationary cadet in Bedford, he progressed from
there “I just wanted to be with my brothers so I
thought why not join in, little did I know that I’d still
be part of it over 60 years later!”
Transferring to Kempston Division in the early 1960s,
he began climbing the ranks and taking on more
responsibility, being Divisional Secretary for 30
years in addition to his service to the public. He is
currently responsible for a management team of 8
and 90 volunteer members aged between 6 and 63
so people skills are a vital requirement.
The provision for the community is the priority.
Organisers will contact St. John and request their
support. Vic will then arrange the volunteer teams
for first aid cover at events like Bedford River
Festival, Luton carnival, parades, sports events and
fetes. They need to be prepared for all eventualities,
maintaining professional standards of first response
care combined with empathy and compassion.
St. John has evolved over the years and the quality
Victor Hulatt – a dedicated life
To advertise please call 01234 310521 or email: teresa@communitylife.co.uk
of care is of an excellent standard. Working in
close conjunction with the professional emergency
services, they have volunteers who are also full
time doctors, nurses, paramedics and health care
professionals. St. John is always keen to recruit new
volunteers and there are many areas they can help
with. After basic first aid training, progression is
made under supervision. Volunteers can offer their
time in different ways not just in the public support
role. There is a lot of personal
Little did I know I’d still be
part of it 60 years later.
❝❝
VOLUNTEERING
reward to be gained and Vic
would encourage anyone
interested to get in touch.
Vic loves the variety in the role and he strives to
instil confidence in the volunteers. “I am proud of
the badge we wear and I encourage all members.
Supporting them from the front as a good leader
means they will reach their own potential and
develop in confidence to provide a high quality
service to the community.”
Vic has been highly recognised and in 1997 he
received the Officer Brother of the Order of St. John
– a Queens’s decoration signifying his high level of
long service and achievement. This was a special
moment for him along with being invited to the
Buckingham Palace Garden Party in 2010.
Caring is a part of who Vic is, “I am happy assisting
others and making their life a bit better when they
are in need so I’m glad I copied my brothers all those
years ago!”
For further information and to find out about
volunteering please visit www.sja.org.uk
34 St John’s Street Bedford MK42 0DH
Call 0844 770 4800
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