It has to be asked, what would one do without them? We love to hate them at times, but when you witness them at work the reporter, and the photographer, they really earn your respect, which must at times be a very trying occupation.
The public and the many organisations out there rely on them for communication. We have a raft of volunteers in our community, many do not get the recognition they deserve, time is the most valuable resource in life, and this is given by so many people willingly, to make society a better place. It does not help when vital emergency services like St John are underfunded, which places an even heavier role on the volunteer, perhaps what is needed is volunteer MPs?
The caring caller is but one free service that is offered by St John to anyone who feels lonely, which can be shattering for many people. To hear a happy voice can
be wonderful.
They say the shortest distance between two people is a smile, and hey it costs nothing but it means the world. St John and the Red Cross have a Health Shuttle service to take people to medical appointments, which is also manned by volunteers.
This type of information shows once again, how important, the media is, and to the many thousands of volunteers out there well done.

Ron Chamberlain,
St John, Red Cross, Otumoetai.