Operation Lifesaver Volunteer Knighted into the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem

On June 2, 2007, Tom Allan, an Operation Lifesaver volunteer presenter since October of 2004, was knighted into the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem for his almost 40 years and around 25,000 hours of volunteer work with St. John’s Ambulance.
In his time with Operation Lifesaver, Mr. Allan has given more than 260 presentations and participated in 18 activities. He is only one of five Hamiltonians who have been named a Knight of Saint John, and only one of six in Canada to receive the Honour this year.
“I was pleasantly surprised,” Mr. Allan says of when he learned he was to receive the Honour. “There are not an awful lot of just normal people who receive this award.”
When Mr. Allan retired from the St. John Brigade, he was chief training officer for Canada. He was recruited by the Hamilton Branch of St. John Ambulance and sits on their Board of Directors and Chairs two different committees – The Honours and Awards Committee and a Heritage Committee. During his time volunteering with St. John Ambulance, Mr. Allan also worked at CN, where he retired as a Manager of First Aid and Safety after almost 40 years service.
“Operation Lifesaver would like to congratulate Mr. Allan and extend warmest thanks for all of the positive work that he brings to Operation Lifesaver,” said Dan Di Tota, National Director of Operation Lifesaver in Canada.