A living legacy

Mark Fisher clearly remembers as a youngster doing homework on a heavy wooden desk in his family home with what he now recognises as the Maltese Cross insignia inset into the grain.

“We were early founding contributors to St John WA here in Perth, and I grew up surrounded by memorabilia – but I didn’t know much about it.”

A career in international finance later, Mark returned to Perth to reconnect with family and found himself drawn by his familiarity with St John WA to join the team as an advisor.

The reconnection both with his home city and heritage prompted Mark to embark on a journey of discovery – both about himself and his family.

Most recently, Mark tracked down an historical photograph of the St John WA brigade marching on St George’s Terrace shortly before World War II broke out during the 1930s.

“To find it, we tracked down family in Manchester in the UK – people who until now I had never met before, so it really has brought our family closer together.”

The photograph shows a procession of neat, uniformed men (all men, back then), led by Mark’s great great grandfather, Albert Ernest Fisher.

A quick review of the book published last year on St John WA’s history – Order from Chaos, read it here – reveals how Albert himself was one of the original 48 members of Perth’s Men’s Ambulance Division and helped attend 130 calls that year in 1922.

“They used to meet in what was just an old shed at 100 Eaton Street in North Perth back then, it was a small outfit,” Mark recounted.

Albert remained with St John for many years and was on the council as late as 1947. During his tenure with the organisation, St John transitioned from horse-drawn carts to ambulance vehicles, launched significant fundraising efforts, established itself as an emergency service, expanded into the regions and purchased the landmark headquarters on Wellington Street which to this day bears the organisation’s insignia.

For Mark, joining the St John WA team in the contemporary organisation is an opportunity to pay tribute to his heritage, and continue his family’s legacy.