Rick Wilson (O'Connor, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

As I travel around my vast electorate of O'Connor, I get to see some amazing volunteers making a huge difference in their communities. I was recently privileged to meet Dave Saunders and his wife, Inez, while visiting the town of Collie. Dave has been a St John Ambulance volunteer for 52 years—a remarkable feat.

Not only did I get to thank Dave for his hard work and commitment to volunteering, but also I was able to congratulate him on being promoted to the status of Commander of the Order of St John. Commander status recognises outstanding leadership and service to the community and St John Ambulance, and it is not easily achieved. Dave is only the second person in Collie ever to receive this recognition in the history of St John Ambulance and is one of only 28 commanders currently in Western Australia.

Dave has committed countless hours to St John over the years, either on shift, training and recruiting new volunteers, or heading up renovations at the Collie sub-centre. Dave's unwavering dedication and leadership has created a positive workplace culture within the Collie depot. It is clear that Dave is well respected by his colleagues for his knowledge, experience and commitment to St John.

He gave me a tour of the Collie ambulance depot, and I inspected the renovations he oversaw a couple of years ago. Dave has certainly achieved his goal of making the depot more comfortable and practical for the members.

Promotion to commander is an exceptional accolade for Dave and shows the hard work and dedication he has invested in St John Ambulance these past 52 years. The only promotion left for Dave is to become a Knight of St John, which I am sure Dave will achieve one day.

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