St John Ambulance Isle of Man, alongside dignitaries from the Priory of England and the Islands, celebrated the investiture of Samantha Crookall as Dame Commander during a ceremonial service at St Thomas’ Church over the weekend.
The ceremony on Saturday (October 31) follows the official announcement of her appointment, which was sanctioned by His Majesty The King, and sees Crookall has become the first female and youngest person ever to hold the role of Commander in the Isle of Man.
His Excellency the Lieutenant Governor Sir John Lorimer and Lady Lorimer, and the Worshipful the Mayor and Mayoress of Douglas were among the esteemed guests in attendance to mark the historic occasion.
Looking to the Future
Following her investiture, Dame Commander Crookall indicted that she wishes to prioritise the development of youth programmes, saying: “I’ve been part of St John Ambulance for over 20 years now, and one of the things I find so wonderful is our teaching and making people aware of how important first aid skills can be.
“I’m so passionate about all our volunteers but in particular our youth, because they’re the future. All three of my children have been involved in Badgers, and I’ve been a Badger Leader and trainer for four years now teaching the 5 – 10 year olds. They’re so keen to learn, whether it be about the environment or about first aid.”
She added: “You can find yourself in a situation where you wake up one morning and your life can be changed forever. I’ve been in this situation and if you know how to respond it can make such a difference.”