Mr MATT KEAN ( Hornsby ) ( 13:25 ): Today I acknowledge a lifetime of service. John Joseph Baynie of Thornleigh began his service with St John Ambulance as a volunteer first aider in 1956 at the ripe age of 20. He assisted the late John Ward in forming the Hornsby division of St John Ambulance. Ever since he has been supporting the Hornsby community. John's service has extended over 60 years. His duties have included a regular presence at the historic Bobbin Head and the original Hornsby pool as well as covering sporting and public events, including RSL marches and services. In his time he became a first-aid lecturer and ran voluntary first-aid courses from the early 1960s. Life took him down a variety of paths but through it all John remained an active member of the St John Ambulance until 1994 when he became president of the division he helped to found.
As if that were not enough, there is also his work with the scouting movement as the resource adviser first aid for Hornsby district Scouts and the fact that he spent 13 years in the Army Reserve's artillery and medical corps. Members of the St John Ambulance have remarked that John is a unique and cherished source of advice and has provided endless support, both emotionally and financially, to the division. He has seen the St John Ambulance transform from a small, basic first-aid service with wooden kits and canvas stretchers to a well-equipped modern health service with advanced equipment. John Baynie represents what is best about our community and our country. I thank him for his remarkable contribution.
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