St John Museum (Williamstown)

St John Ambulance Australia is proud of its tradition of service to the community. The Library and Museum pay tribute to the thousands of loyal St John members who have contributed their time and energy in service of others.

EXPERIENCE THE ST JOHN STORY

The St John Ambulance Australia (Vic) Library and Museum at Williamstown Beach tells the St John story in Victoria from the first First Aid training course held in 1883. Tracing the proud history of the work of the Order of St John over more than 100 years, a wide range of exhibits show what St John has done and continues to do for our community.

Today, St John is a modern organisation, active throughout Victoria and the rest of Australia, helping those in need through First Aid training and volun-tary services and other much-needed community care and ophthalmic services.

The objective of the Museum and Library is to collect, document, manage, preserve and display the memorabilia and materials related to the various sections of St John in Victoria, its predecessors and successors, and the St John community.

The Library and Museum Committee is responsible for the Museum, Archives and Library, a non-lending collection of publications held at St John headquarters in South Melbourne.

THE MUSEUM DISPLAY

The Museum displays many photographs, books, certificates, uniforms and equipment, telling interesting stories from St John's past, including:

THE FOUNDING OF ST JOHN IN VICTORIA
Dr J E Neild, the founder of St John in Victoria, convened a public meeting in 1883 at which it was decided to form a branch of the St John Ambulance Association.

THE HISTORY OF THE AMBULANCE SERVICE IN MELBOURNE
From the days of the hand-wheeled Ashford Litter in 1889, through the days of the horse-drawn wagon, to the first motor ambulance and the subsequent founding of the Victorian Civil Ambulance Service in 1916.

THE HISTORY OF ST JOHN RADIO COMMUNICATIONS
From the days of a ham-radio transmitter in the garage of a member's home, to the present sophisticated network.

THE BEGINNING OF FIRST AID SERVICES
The founding of the First Aid Volunteer Association in 1908 at the visit of the American Fleet, giving way to the early St John Ambulance Brigade Divisions from 1910.

The hosting of Voluntary Aid Detachments during both World War I and World War II.

The St John Search and Rescue Units which were forerunners of the State Emergency Service.

Our extensive involvement in many disasters, including the Westgate Bridge collapse, the Violet Town train derailment and many more.

FIRST AID TRAINING
The development of first aid and home nursing teaching from the first textbooks in the 1980s to computer CDs and Web-based training today.

The evolution of first aid kits and methods of resuscitation from the early 1900s to the present day use of mouth to mouth resuscitation, external cardiac compression and semi-automatic external defibrillators.

Opening Hours:

Opening Times

Cost:

Free admission