Oberon man James Adams awarded St John Bravery Award

James Adams received a St John Bravery Award from NSW Governor David Hurley at the presentation.

Held at the University of Sydney’s Great Hall, it was the Governor’s inaugural event with St John.

Nominees for the awards must have performed a conspicuous act of bravery and this is the first time a Certificate of Honour has been awarded to a NSW member.

Mr Adams was the first on the scene of a head-on motor vehicle collision involving a logging truck which killed one person and severely injured three others.

According to a St John spokesperson, the road was strewn with debris and both vehicles were leaking fuel.

“Despite the extremely hazardous situation, James single-handedly triaged and treated all casualties for over 30 minutes,” the spokesperson said.

“After the arrival of emergency services, James continued to assist their personnel for three hours.”

Geremy Roberts and Maureen Templar, both from Orange, Jack McGrath, Bertram Plomp, Paul and Petra Moon (Parkes) and Barbara Kiehne (Gilgandra) were all awarded a Save a Life Award for their efforts while on duty as St John Ambulance volunteers at the Gravity Gold Rush Street Luge event last October.

The team provided lifesaving first aid to an event bus driver who lost consciousness while driving downhill, veered off the road and collided with a fence. 

Their first aid management included CPR, defibrillation and administration of IV fluids.

In his address, Mr Hurley said it was an honour to stand on the shoulders of giants, as the work of St John is invaluable to the community. 

St John NSW Commissioner Didier Moutia said the annual awards ceremony is a premier event for the organisation, whose core purpose is to empower people to help others in times of need.

“It’s a chance to celebrate and publicly recognise not only St John members, but people of the greater community,” he said.