Regret the Error

ON February 20, 2009, The Courier-Mail reported details of an assault claim brought against St John Ambulance which concerned first aid allegedly provided at a surf carnival at Lorne, Victoria, in February 2006. 

The article may have been interpreted as suggesting as fact that it was St John Ambulance officers who had performed the first aid, rather than merely stating that this is what was alleged in the statement of claim.

We have since been provided with evidence that confirms St John Ambulance was not in fact in attendance at the surf carnival in question and that no St John Ambulance first aid officers provided first aid to the alleged victim.

We apologise to St John Ambulance for any distress or embarrassment caused by publication of the article. Any error was made by the reporter.

We acknowledge that St John Ambulance Australia is a self-funding charitable organisation that provides vital services to the community, helping people in sickness, distress, suffering or danger.

St John Ambulance provides about 1.4 million hours of voluntary service to Australian communities each year, treating about 86,000 casualties.

The 10,000 first aid volunteers and other St John Ambulance officers are highly skilled and extremely well qualified for the provision of medical services they provide.

Australia’s Daily Telegraph published the same apology.