AS a member of St John Ambulance, Terry Haynes has witnessed some iconic moments in time.

The wedding of Princess Anne, Trooping the Colour and the Commonwealth Games are all events at which he was on duty.

Now, 53 years after he became an ambulance member, Terry has been put forward for a Proud of Barnsley award for his voluntary work.

Terry joined St John Ambulance in September 1963 and is a founder member of the Grimethorpe section. He became divisional superintendent in 1972 and from 1990 to 1996, he was the area commission for Barnsley which in those days had 12 divisions.

Over the years, Terry has taken cadets to both national and international competitions where they have won many awards.

In 1991, Terry was awarded a BEM for services for to the community and in 2010 he became a serving officer of the Order of St John of Jerusalem.

It has been a huge part of his life but due to ill-health, Terry is no longer able to carry out public duties. He is in the process of handing over the section to Alison O’Keefe who will undertake the necessary exams to become qualified.

Terry, 78, of Clifton Gardens, Brierley, said: “Up until two years ago, I was still going to events and having a presence. But due to illness, I can no longer do public duties for St John Ambulance. I can’t get down on the floor to do resuscitation or the recovery position. I was disappointed, because I’ve really enjoyed doing it.

“But I’m 79 nearly now, and it all comes to an end.

“One of my favourite things is seeing the kids get on and get into things like nursing and caring or the Army Medical Corps. They’ve won trophies all over England and have been to Australia twice. It’s been a pretty eventful time.”

Despite his health, Terry will still assist Alison when she takes over in about 12 weeks.

He has been put forward by Brierley councillor Allan Hampson, who said: “Terry is always on hand providing first aid cover for events and galas and is a fantastic volunteer committed to St John Ambulance since the day he started in 1963. He has always encouraged young people to take a pride in their local community and be role models in their community service.”

Read more in this weeks Barnsley Chronicle