Pictured: NT First Aid Champs, Jay, Evangelina, Pippa and Jacques.
Four Territorians from St John NT’s Parap Youth Division are set to represent the Northern Territory at the St John National Youth Championship Competitions in Sydney on Sunday, 28 September 2025.
The team that was crowned NT Champions earlier this year will travel to Glebe to test their first aid skills against competitors from across Australia and New Zealand.
The team will be supported by three St John NT adult leaders: Geoff Bates, Clinical Services Manager and Team Trainer; Makayla Zelley, Parap Youth Superintendent and Team Manager; and Makaylia Ravlich, Territory Officer Youth.
This year’s competition will bring together St John Youth teams from across Australia (excluding WA and QLD) and, for the first time, a contingent from New Zealand.
Territory Officer Youth, Makaylia Ravlich, said the NT team had been training with commitment in the lead-up to the championships.
“Preparations are going really well. Our 2025 NT Youth team has been coming together each week to train for Nationals with focus, dedication, and hard work, while still enjoying the process. They’re improving their skills, building as a team, and are ready for the experience that the championships will bring.”
Teammates Jay and Jacques, who are on the team, are extremely proud of what they have achieved.
“It’s an amazing opportunity to be able to represent the NT. I feel honoured that I’m able to. We have all been training hard for this and it has been great being able to see how we have improved from the local competition to now. I’m incredibly excited and maybe slightly apprehensive but overall I’m confident in our ability and hopeful that we will take home gold,” Jay said.
Jacques says he is proud of how the cadets have worked together as a team.
“Personally, I feel proud and honoured to represent the NT. We have been training hard for this competition, and it is a great privilege to be competing. I believe that we will do our best and make the Territory proud.”
The National Youth Championship Competitions are a highlight of the St John Youth calendar, giving young people the chance to demonstrate teamwork, leadership, and first aid excellence under pressure.
The stakes are high at this year’s competition, as St John celebrates 100 Years of Youth in Australia. The championships are being held in Glebe, the location of St John Australia’s first youth division, which was founded in December 1925.
As part of the celebrations, the St John National Youth Camp will be held alongside the Championships, allowing another six NT youth members to connect with others from across Australia and NZ.
Other notes:
- Youth members are offered accredited first aid training and are able to attend community events, providing a first aid service.
- Juniors (aged 8 to 11 years) and Youth (aged 12 to 13) are trained in basic first aid
- Youth (aged 14 to 17 years) are offered nationally accredited first aid training
Learn more and sign up to the youth program: www.stjohnnt.org.au/volunteers
