Bill Stephen Retires from the Martinborough Ambulance Service

After 32 years, Bill Stephen retired recently from Martinborough’s St John ambulance service, marking the close of a long chapter of involvement.

It was Easter 1978 when Bill and his wife Charlene arrived in Martinborough and Bill began work alongside local builder Lindsay Cunliffe. Once he had settled into life here, Bill became keen to give some volunteer hours to the local community and in July 1982 joined St John as an events first aider and ambulance officer.

In those early days about 18 people did active duty, working in teams of three on a roster of one week in every four or five. Shifts were Monday to Thursday nights from 6pm to 6am, and 6pm Friday right over the weekend to Monday morning. They were long shifts on top of a full working week. Call out times were often three hours or more, especially if significant distances had to be covered. Many calls were in areas with little or no radio coverage.

Officers were given a vehicle stocked with basic items such as splints, bandages, a stretcher, a cylinder of oxygen, and a radio telephone (RT) and sent out into the world. In those days there were no cell phones, no GPS giving direction details, no pagers displaying the job being responded to. The first information about the incident the ambulance was attending was when an officer would call up on the radio telephone as the vehicle left the shed.

Many changes have occurred during Bill’s time, along with many improvements in qualifications and skill levels. To become an ambulance officer in the early days all that was needed was the completion of a 16 hour First Aid course. Since then there have been a procession of upgraded qualifications. Along with the improved and expanded training, new skills were needed to keep up with technological advances and improved equipment.

For the patient a greater range of treatment regimens became available for the ambulance officers to use, such as pain relief and asthma medication. Gone are the days when training included making a bed with hospital corners, applying bandages, and giving medications to a matron’s strict guidelines.
Over the years St John has always given Bill a good excuse to attend and watch various sporting matches and events, as the ambulance used to be positioned on the side line of all games. Bill’s local knowledge was especially useful when there were callouts in rural areas.

His travelling time as an electrician along with various hunting and fishing expeditions had given him a good background and an ability to follow local directions.
Bill has been Chairperson of the local St John Area Committee, from 1985 until the present, and was admitted to the Order of St John in 1997. Admission to the order “acknowledges candidates who are exceptional and stand out from their peers”, so this was no small honour.

Bill was involved with the formation of the Martinborough and District Ambulance Trust, which was set up to retain ownership by the local community of the service’s assets. During that time the ambulance rooms were built, two new vehicles purchased, and various pieces of equipment bought.

Although the ambulance service for Martinborough has changed significantly in recent years, particularly with the Wellington Free Ambulance winning the Wairarapa contract, nothing can minimise Bill’s contribution. He has more than given back to his community. Bill has been on hand for more than 20 Toast Martinborough events and at least 50 Martinborough fairs.

Over 32 years Bill has put in more than 200 hours annually, travelled countless kilometres, and given up a great deal of sleep! The Martinborough community has much to thank him for.
Rachel McCahon