St. John Rescue Corps

Appointments & Headquarters Staff

Honorary Appointments

The Order of St John is a royal order of chivalry of the British Crown. Previously styled as the Order of St John “in the British Realm”, the Order and its foundations were spread throughout the British Empire.

The patron of St John in Malta was therefore the Governor, as the Crown’s direct representative to the Island, and later the Governor-General. Malta adopted a republican constitution in 1974, and thereafter, the Governor-General’s successor accepted to retain the patronage of St John Ambulance in Malta.

H.E. the President of the Republic of Malta is the Patron of the St John Ambulance Malta GC.

The Corps may request distinguished persons to become patrons of the Corps after consulting the National Head Quarters in Valletta.

The Corps Commander may from time to time nominate persons who have contributed significantly to the Corps, or who have distinguished themselves in humanitarian and voluntary enterprises in furtherance of the Corps’ noble and chivalric aims, as honorary officers of the Corps.

Honorary offices of the Corps are distinct from the class of honorary membership of St John Ambulance.

Patron St John Association - Malta
Her Excellency, Marie Louise Coleiro Preca, KUOM, President of Malta

Commander St John Association - Malta
Colonel Mark Mallia, AFM

Life President St John Rescue Corps
Major-General Michael J. H. Walsh, CB DSO DL KStJ

Corps Senior Officers

Commissioner (Rescue) & Corps Commander
Andrew Grech, OStJ, BSc, M.B.A.(E-Business), St.JRC.

Deputy Corps Commissioner
Vacant

Assistant Commssioner
Andrew Pizzuto, OStJ, DipCII, St.JRC.

Assistant Commissioner
Christopher Borg Cardona, OStJ, St.JRC.

Senior Superintendent (Fort Commandant)
David L. Christie, SBStJ, St.JRC.

Senior Superintendent
James Cilia, SBStJ, B.Ed (Hons), M.Ed, St.JRC.

Honorary Officers

Raymond Bugeja CStJ, FCCA, MSI FIoD

His Excellency Dr D. Alfonso de Ceballos-Escalera y Gila, Marqués de la Floresta

His Excellency Alfredo Escudero y Díaz-Madroñero, Marquis of Gori

Bill Evans (ACFO - Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service)

The Noble Pier Felice degli Uberti, Count of Cavaglià

Paul Gibson (Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service)

Barbara Harrison (FWD Freight Services Ltd, UK)

John McDonough (Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service)

Tony McGuirk CBE QFSM (CFO - Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service)

Capt. DM Salvatore Olivari de la Moneda

Tom Sefton MBE SBStJ (Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service)

Duncan P J Stafford (St John Ambulance)

Jane Stafford (St John Ambulance)

Carmel Vella Brincat

Ian Voce (Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service)

In 1986, Anthony The Marquis Buttigieg De Piro KStJ GCLJ (J) KMLJ FInstD MIM, was asked by the late Commander St John Ambulance Malta GC Edwin H W Borg KStJ to raise a Corps of rescue volunteers, which would be part of St John Ambulance, but separate from the St John Ambulance Brigade (First Aid and Nursing).

Commander Borg’s request to raise a Rescue Corps under the banner of St John was in order to meet the need in Malta of a support civil defence unit consisting of adult volunteers fully trained in rescue and first aid.

The first rescue courses organised for the new volunteer recruits of the newly-formed St John Rescue Corps – Malta GC, were carried out by the Corps Commander Marquis Buttigieg De Piro who was ably assisted by rescue instructors of the Armed Forces of Malta who were loaned to him by the Commander of the Armed Forces at the time, Brigadier Claude M Gaffiero KStJ, without whose clear thinking and support the Rescue Corps might have never taken off.

After five months, the Rescue Corps officers and their subordinate leaders were running the rescue courses very professionally and efficiently, to their own divisions and new recruits. Without exception, all the Commanders of the Armed Forces of Malta always co-operated with, supported and helped the St John Rescue Corps, whenever they could.

Together with the St John Ambulance Association’s Training Branch and the Ambulance Brigade (First Aid and Nursing), the Rescue Corps forms part of the St John Ambulance Malta GC and operates under the auspices of the Order of St John, of which Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II is Sovereign Head.