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It’s 7 am on a rainy Saturday morning and Tauranga St John shift manager Jane Kale has been at work for half an hour. She’s not sure what the day will bring but that’s what she loves about her role for St John.
“I had ‘hundreds’ of jobs before my career as a paramedic,” she laughs. “Now I can have hundreds of jobs in one day. I thrive on the unpredictability and derive huge satisfaction from the work we do.”
A St John paramedic’s day’s work may be unpredictable but it is not unplanned for. The first thing Jane and co-worker, Emergency Medical Technician Tim Neve, do is check the ambulance. Today they have to go out in the pouring rain to get to it. The ambulances are parked at the rear of their temporary premises in Greerton’s industrial zone.
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When they move to the new purpose-built depot in Tauranga’s Seventeenth Avenue in February the ambulances will occupy a big garage in the building. Much more efficient for access, cleaning and preparing for the next time they are needed, which is inevitable and often. In the Western Bay of Plenty alone there are 14-15,000 transports per year, that’s up to 40 per day. “While we will maintain our ambulance depots at Katikati, Bayfair and Te Puke it will be great to have the Tauranga crew and the Western Bay administration all in one place and in a facility which allows us to operate more efficiently and effectively for the community,” Jane says.
Jane and Tim go carefully through the contents of the ambulance ensuring that the crew before them have restocked with everything they are likely to need for the next callout. This is a brand-new ambulance, decked out in the new more visible patchwork of florescent yellow and green. St John have, on occasion, been lucky enough to have had an ambulance donated by a grateful former patient or the estate of one.
Finding her Niche
Jane is the only female shift manager of the five on Tauranga’s St John staff. She does not see it as a feminist issue. “I often pick up on things the boys don’t, while I may miss something they notice, so we complement each other as a team. I certainly don’t hold back on airing my opinions!”
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It is obvious Jane loves what she does. She has been with St John four years, since the family moved back from Australia where she trained as a paramedic and worked for the Queensland Ambulance Service for ten years. She and her husband Chris lived there for nearly 17 years after she met him in London on her OE 20 years ago and he suggested she “swing by the Gold Coast” to see him on her way home. After various jobs failed to give her a true sense of satisfaction, one of her three brothers, two of whom are ambulance officers, suggested she train as a paramedic. She found her niche. When the family, including Mitchell now aged 16, Meg (13) and the chocolate lab, decided to return to Tauranga she wondered briefly if she would continue this path. “But Mum, you’ve always been a paramedic,” was her children’s response. “I think they are quite proud of what I do.” Proud they should be. Jane’s manner displays her confidence in her ability and her enthusiasm for her role; juggling in-coming calls with jobs on the depot and, always, prepared to swing into action when the ambulance is called. Asked if her professionalism ever wavers, if she gets emotionally involved in the situations she has to attend Jane explains that a senior colleague once told her, “The accident, illness or tragedy you may attend is not yours to react to personally.” However, she acknowledges, “Your own life experience can affect your reactions. After my father died, I found jobs involving elderly people brought my emotions into play.”
Making a Difference
While one would expect the greatest sense of accomplishment would come from acting as first responder in a critical incident or accident, Jane says some of the smallest jobs give the greatest sense of accomplishment. “By visiting a sick person, giving them some time and setting in place the pathways that will facilitate their monitoring and recovery, you can make someone’s day.”
“Winter is our busiest season,” she explains. “Not only are there often more accidents but there are more home visits and hospital transfers due to respiratory illnesses, particularly among older people, and more sporting events to attend.” The Bay of Plenty has a huge number of events requiring St John ambulances and personnel on site. Jane co-ordinated their presence in the September Aims Games, attracting over 10,000 participants in 22 different sports and requiring, as well as the rostered officers, some 75 St John volunteers. “We could not operate without our volunteers,” she points out. “While we always need more, we are fortunate in that St John is considered very rewarding by volunteers.” Asked if they need extra staff on to cope with the influx of Christmas holiday visitors and revellers Jane says it’s very much business as usual and often no busier than any other time. Jane and her colleagues work four 12 hour shifts then have a day to sleep and three days off. During those days Jane enjoys more family time, walks up Mauao and catches up on study towards her degree as Bachelor of Community Health. “This reflects the much more holistic approach being taken to health and will complement my role with St John.”
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St John Tauranga Building Project Charitable Trust helps raise over $2million for new depot
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The new St John Depot, currently being built on Tauranga’s 17th Avenue, is due to open early next year with the St John Tauranga Building Project Charitable Trust helping lead the charge and raising $2,459,000. The Trust was formed in 2014 by businesses in the ANZ Business Centre to help facilitate funding and building plans. It was spearheaded by well-known real estate personality, Richard Cashmore, chairman of the trust and board of directors of Bayleys Success Realty whose company occupies premises within the centre on 247 Cameron Road.
Richard suggested all the businesses in the building join in offering their professional support. Agreement was unanimous. Matt Tustin from Cooney Lees Morgan joined Mark Robinson of Staples Rodway as Finance Committee members.
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Albie Mulder from Aurecon and KPMG’s Glenn Keaney accepted the challenge as members of the building committee.
“St John’s high profile and the way it touches everyone’s lives made funders keen to support it,” says Matt Tustin.TECT (Tauranga Energy Consumer Trust) generously committed to match the $2,034,000 already held by St John; the NZ Community Trust gave $325,000 and Tauranga Police’s CIB Charitable Trust Auction raised another $100,000. Local organisations have funded the balance to make the approx. $4.5 million needed.
The building committee undertook a long process of gaining consents and finalising the design before work on the building was able to commence.
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Meanwhile other businesses within the ANZ Building helped source temporary premises for St John and facilitated other necessary aspects of the building’s planning.The new premises will replace the original 1980s building which didn’t meet earthquake safety requirements or the needs of a rapidly growing city.
Members of the St John Tauranga Building Charitable Trust are ANZ Bank, Aurecon, Bayleys, Cooney Lees Morgan, Staples Rodway, Rothbury, KPMG, Key Research and Elizabeth Café.
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