A MAJOR honour has been given to a long-serving member of the St John Ambulance Isle of Man with Hilary McCormick being invested as an Officer Sister of the Order of St John.
Her investiture was carried out by the Lieutenant Governor Vice Admiral Sir Paul Haddacks, who is the President of St John Ambulance Isle of Man, at Government House.
Mrs McCormick, who lives in Pulrose Road, Douglas, is promoted from Serving Sister with the Order of St John, an honour bestowed on her in 2002.
Mrs McCormick joined St John Ambulance Isle of Man in 1985 and rose to the rank of County Staff Officer for Youth Training in 2008, serving along the way as Divisional Officer for four years and Divisional Superintendent for 12 years.
Reading the citation, Dr Iain Kewley, Commander of St John Ambulance Isle of Man, said Mrs McCormick retired from active duty in December 2009. He said, “It is only now that we have come to truly appreciate the vast contribution that she has made, as a trainer on commercial and members’ courses, as a leader within youth working with Badgers and Cadets, in fund-raising and in supporting the new leadership team in her former division.
“She has also undertaken the unofficial role of seamstress and tailor as well as co-ordinating the work of others to recycle uniforms, thus saving significantly on the cost of buying new uniforms.
“Despite her formal retirement, Hilary remains available at the end of a phone and continues to provide wise counsel and an unofficial sounding board to those who value her advice. Her legacy continues as her outstanding leadership and the investment she made in her former role, inspiring and developing her cadets, is producing a steady stream of County Cadets of the Year and Lieutenant Governor’s Cadets.”
The Order of St John is the parent charity of St John Ambulance and is a faith-based humanitarian organisation. It can trace its roots back to the 11th Century and carries out work in 40 countries.
The Queen is the Sovereign Head of the Order of St John, or, to give it its full title, the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem, and grants membership in recognition of outstanding contributions, normally involving many years’ voluntary service.
There are 30,000 members of the Order worldwide. For more information, visit http://www.orderofstjohn.org/
