St John WA’s Yarning First Aid program hits the Kimberley
Funds raised through the Governor’s Benefit Ball are helping St John WA break down barriers to first aid training, with a new Yarning First Aid pilot program taking life-saving skills directly to Aboriginal communities across WA.
And the team hit the ground running with a recent trip to the Kimberley.
The Yarning First Aid program began after St John WA’s Program Development Officer, Lucy La Cunza, worked with communities in the Wheatbelt as a nurse during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Inspired by her experiences there, she has been developing the program within St John, working alongside Training Design and First Nations teams.
“The program has been developed for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, so they can learn the practical skills to help someone in an emergency,” Lucy said.
“We conduct these courses in a culturally safe environment, wherever the group is comfortable. Courses can even be facilitated on Country, which is where we delivered during our recent trip to the Kimberley.”
“We don’t use PowerPoints. We don’t do tests. It’s very casual – a yarning circle – and we ask people what they would like to learn.”
Tailoring the sessions to communities is a crucial point of difference compared to more traditional first aid training.
“There are some non-negotiables like CPR, defibrillation, snake bites and choking, and then we open it up to the room to see what they would like to learn and what’s important in their communities,” Lucy said.
“We delivered a pilot session in the Wheatbelt where drowning was important to that community due to a child having passed away from a drowning incident.
“In another community, it was seizures.”
Lucy and Yarning First Aid Facilitators, Cindy Malthouse and Leeka Dark, travelled to WA’s Kimberley region in August, spreading the word about the program and delivering first aid training to the Doon Doon and 9 Mile communities.
“As this was our first visit to the region, our facilitators, both Yamatji women, ensured that cultural protocols were respected from the onset by consulting with local Elders before visiting the communities in person,” Lucy said.
For Lucy, Cindy and Leeka, building meaningful relationships was a priority on the trip, and the team spent time connecting with community members, listening to their stories, and learning about what matters to them.
Seeing individuals grow in first aid understanding, practicing new skills and leaving with a genuine sense of achievement was a powerful reminder of the difference this program is making.
“It’s an awesome opportunity for mob out there to learn first aid and for them to save a life would be amazing,” Cindy said.
“I feel we have left them with the ability, and the confidence, to provide first aid to their community.”
They also took the opportunity to speak with other local emergency services, including WA Police Community Liaison Officers, and media, building connections and laying the groundwork for future sessions.
“The feedback’s been really positive – everyone’s enjoyed it and they want to learn more,” Lucy said.
“The Kimberley visit was more than a training trip. It was an opportunity to listen, learn and strengthen community connections while supporting people to gain life-saving skills.
“We look forward to returning and continuing this important work alongside the communities we were fortunate to meet.”
The program is part of St John WA’s commitment to ‘Help to Respond’, building first aid knowledge and confidence so communities are better equipped to help when it matters most.
The aim is to continue building awareness of Yarning First Aid and deliver sessions across Western Australia.
“I’d love to have a couple of facilitators in each region, ideally, and I’d love it to grow,” Lucy said.
“For St John as well, we are for the service of humanity, and I think this is a really big part of what we do.”
“I think shining the spotlight on these communities and making them feel seen and heard is important.”
St John WA is one of four beneficiaries of funds raised from the annual Governor’s Benefit Ball, alongside Stronger Families, DV Assist and Moort Boodjari Mia.
Learn more about the Yarning First Aid program and support the program today by emailing YarningFirstAid@stjohnwa.com.au.
