The St. John Ambulance Association and Brigade of Sri Lanka (also often referred to as the St. John Ambulance of Sri Lanka) is a charitable organisation providing healthcare services to the Sri Lankan public. Its members also perform voluntary first aid coverage duties during national events.
The headquarters is located at 65/11, Sir Chittampalam A. Gardiner Mawatha, Colombo 02.
History
St John Ambulance was established in Ceylon in 1906. The National St. John Council was formed in 1967 to govern St. John's activities in Sri Lanka. St. John Sri Lanka has some 50,000 volunteers.[1]
St John Ambulance in Sri Lanka largely consists of cadet members - i.e. secondary school students who joined St John as their Co-curricular activity. Currently, various schools are as follows:
Knight / Dame of Grace (KStJ or DStJ), note that this does not entitle the holder to Sir
The grades of the Order are numbered 1 through 6, however, this is not to be confused with the grading of Brigade Officers.
The highest grade in the Order, GCStJ is limited only to the Great Officers of the Order and 21 other individuals. The lowest grade in the Order, Esq StJ is for Personal Esquires for KStJ and above who probably play a role similar to that of an Aide-de-Camp.
