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Rescue team’s Ron Royston

honored in Ottawa ceremony

: THOUGH THE Red Cross also. November.

“traces its history back to the time of — The legendary
the Crusades, the distinctive white © “Knights Hospitaliers
_cight-pointed cross of the Order of St. WET’ Special Cres a

John has been recognized as the pre-. . jdealism and pragma-
- eminent symboi of healing for the tism were combined.
afflicted and protection for the

Many sons of Europe's
defenceless for almost a thousand noblest families forsook
“years. *., we

comfortable ~ lives as °
By John Moore

career courtiers: for ‘the
doubly strict ‘discipline -
Contributing Writer |

of a’ unique. order. that
‘was both : monastic and
military... :
- Originally the Cross of Amalfi, it'was adopt Over ‘a glass of | ted
. ‘ed in 1023'AD by’ Benedictine monks serving © wine and a cigar on the ter-
ina Jerusalem hospital funded by’ sity’ mer-
chants. In 1099, when Crusaders captrred the
“= Holy City, the Benedic ines caret for the sick

In? 1113. they
Ho: pitallers, taking: St. John the Baptist as their.
patrort, and in. 1199 the: white cross appeared on , In .addition’ to the
he’ $..of “warriors when’ the Order. “professional services he
assumed ‘esponsibility for. military as well as’ - has donated to St. John:’§

10z.of pilgrims to the Holy Land. “Ambulance ‘for more m

10, - in a. ‘Solemn ceremony in: than a decade, there are

, the days spent studying .
‘and requalifying for his’
own : first-aid tickets |»
_each year. Like most of =. |
“us, he took his first First
Aid course through St.
John Ambulance. Add_ ,
to that more than two

1

would be the last person to suggest himself as a
- candidate for monastic orders, yet a sense of

‘formed the Order “of you look at the life of this modem bearer of the
Cross of St. John. | ee ae

“in black : ‘emblazoned with. the: eight.
"Pointed w ite Cross of St. John, promoted West :
Vancouver's Ron : Royston’. and’ four other
‘Canadians ‘to’ the rank of Cominander. of the «

‘As: Victor Irving, himself’ a Knight of. St. *
ohn ‘and ‘Executive ‘Director. of the. Order's °
British Columbia chapter, observes, “Money or. decades. of . volunteer.
influence’; cannot . buy." promotion in the ‘ski. patrol at Grouse
Canadian St. Jon Ambulance organization, as. Mountain. ;
it can in some societies that claim descent from’. “  Royston’s face “is
‘John. ‘The: only route to rank familiar. to most’ of us
: uci > from>- evening’ ‘news.
‘Royston, a ‘Partner in ‘the accounting firm of reports of rescues in the
-Doane Raymond, ‘is not ‘only “a longtime vol-., local mountains. When:
teer ‘within ‘the Order’ Irving’ says, but also venturing modern. pil-
Chairman‘of Finance and “a very key member. grims find | themselves t
.,Of the Provincial Executive Committee”. «in peril in the wildemess, it is Roy ston and the ,
"This is an important post in an ofganization ‘volunteers .of the. North Shore. Rescue Team
that, depends, largely. on volunteer’ administra-
ive services and ‘revenues generated by firs
aid training for its continued existence, but it
‘eenoe: t even ‘begin. to. explain ‘the: Teal" signifi ;

Leblanc’ :(right) :

,._Nient hours, putting family and business com-
“mitments on hold to rush to the rescue. _ They
ometimes answer 50 such call-outs a year and

if you factor in the hours of training to develop ‘
-and hone those life-saving skills, it’s a very full.

_tace of his West Vancouver home, Ron Royston .
: “their own precious time to help others?

“historical synchronicity is. inescapable when’
‘or St. . John n Ambulance arid you'll likely get the”

‘GOVERNOR-GENERAL
“Vancouver's Ron: Royston. to, the
frank of Commander ot the Order,

(NSRT) who they turn to, usually at inconve-
2): In the lives of most young men, there is an

2 <> who comes to define what being aman is all

Wednesday, December.13, 1995 - Noth Shore News ~19 ms

STORIES
ia

Book Co. book s

ii

signing

AUTHORS' Janet Love-Morrison (sitting) and. Patrick Moore (righty. ara, a jolried. by:The. Book:
Company manager Heather Savis during a book-signinig session last Saturday: Both authors
have hac their moat recent works published by West Vancouver-based Terra Bolla Publishing

“He founded his own trucking compa
Carriers, and worked six days:a_
“lifes It was ™ :

together.” :

dance card indeed. yet .
Why do some. people give ‘ip so. much of

Ask: Royston or any member of the. NSRT

his Rover Scoutmaster, Ken Roberts.
“me at and b when’ I. was: ani

> standard “answer, that.
it’s a way of “giving ©
something back. to the
community." :
That . still doesn’t :
“explain why .so many
people, in our notorle*”
ously: selfish and self
éentered age; feel
moral obligation ta give
- Up anything for anyone.
. Katie Royston, who
“met her future husband -
when they were both in’
Grade Eight at Point °
‘Grey... high’: schoo
*. describes him as “‘a bit.
ieee §©—of an A-type personali-. :
: ty.” Though he bears lit-
. ROMEO tle ‘resemblance-to the -
Promotes: West aggressive: fast-talking
stereotypical.”” . over-
achiever, much of his
we volunteer work is “per ~
"formiance oriented,” in that it involves taking
“responsibility for the lives. of others when they
are injured or in danger. *

himself and his troop for everything We can-
vassed for the Heart Fuid, the Uni
you name it, he had us doing it
. When Ron and: Katie Royston got married,
Ken Roberts was their best man
“I guess it looked a bit strange having a 67-
year-old. as your best. man,":Roysto: chuckles,
“But he. was the biggest influence on my life."
‘That's no overstatement, Royston points oul.”
“Scouting Jed to volurieering, to first-aid and S
John’ Ambulance,” to” the . skiing* and < moun
taineering which led to ski patrol ‘and the rescue
team, all the! things that make up my life.
-You'd think it would require some stretch of
¢ the imagination to see the spirit of the legendary.
Crusader monks in the person ‘of a 47-year-old
“accountant with a wife, two teenage daughters:
« and most of the perks and toys that are too ofter

’ Next time you see Ron Royston on the news
~ going out after. some’ lost-
imagining him in'100 pounds of chain-mail and :
the black jerkin bearing the white cross ‘of, ‘the
Order of St. John instead of his rescue e gear.

we s no stretch at all. a

older man — a father, an uncle, a team coach

about.
oa “My Dad v was a workahol 2 RO} oyston says,

Ve

Co THE, .
“ONLY Beer \

ay “Lower
Loneoately