St. John Rescue Corps

Appointments and Headquarters Staff

Honorary Appointments

The Order of St John is a royal order of chivalry of the British Crown. Previously styled as the Order of St John “in the British Realm”, the Order and its foundations were spread throughout the British Empire.

The patron of St John in Malta was therefore the Governor, as the Crown’s direct representative to the Island, and later the Governor-General. Malta adopted a republican constitution in 1974, and thereafter, the Governor-General’s successor accepted to retain the patronage of St John Ambulance in Malta.

His Excellency the President of the Republic of Malta is the Patron of the St John Ambulance Malta GC.

The Corps may request distinguished persons to become patrons of the Corps after consulting the National Head Quarters in Valletta.

The Corps Commander may from time to time nominate persons who have contributed significantly to the Corps, or who have distinguished themselves in humanitarian and voluntary enterprises in furtherance of the Corps’ noble and chivalric aims, as honorary officers of the Corps.

Honorary offices of the Corps are distinct from the class of honorary membership of St John Ambulance.

Patron St John Association - Malta
His Excellency Dr George Abela, KUOM BA LLD
President of Malta

Commander St John Association - Malta
Colonel David Mifsud, AFM

President St John Rescue Corps
Major-General Michael J. H. Walsh, CB DSO DL KStJ

Headquarters Staff

Commissioner (Rescue) & Corps Commander
Captain the Chevalier Reuben Lanfranco,
OStJ, OLJ, KJ, BA(Crim), M Jur.(Int. Law), LL M (IMLI), Dip. Mar. Sur., AFRINA,
MIFireE, MCILT, AFRIN, FNI, FIIMS, MIM, AFM (Retd), St.JRC.

Deputy Corps Commissioner
Andrew Grech, SBStJ, BSc, M.B.A.(E-Business), St.JRC.

Assistant Commssioner (Administration)
Andrew Pizzuto, SBStJ, DipCII, St.JRC.

Assistant Commissioner (Operations & Motorised Transport)
Christopher Borg Cardona, SBStJ, St.JRC.

Rescue Superintendent (Administration)
Chevalier Godwin D'Anastasi, KStS, KOTJ, OOJ-MHG, CLJ, MMHG, FCI, FFA, F Inst BA, F Inst AM, MCMI, St.JRC.

Rescue Superintendent (Fort Commandant)
David L. Christie, St.JRC.

Rescue Superintendent (Human Resources Management & Training)
James Cilia, B.Ed (Hons), M.Ed, St.JRC.

Rescue Superintendent (International Affairs)
Chevalier Aaron De Giorgio, St.JRC.

Senior Rescue Officer (Training)
Ivan Azzopardi, St.JRC.

Senior Rescue Officer (Operations)
Josef Borg, St.JRC.

Senior Rescue Officer (Recruitment)
Martin A. Borg, Dip. (Sport & Leisure), Dip. (Youth & Community), Dip (Human Physiology & Health), St.JRC.

Senior Rescue Officer (Operations)
Edward Midolo, St.JRC.

Senior Rescue Officer (Training)
Chevalier Godfrey Sammut, B.A.(Hons) Accy, C.S.A.,
Dip.(Taxation), A.M.I.T., F.I.A., C.P.A., B.M.L.J., M.M.L.J., K.L.J., St.JRC.

Senior Rescue Officer (PR, Legal & EU Affairs)
Geraldine Spiteri, B.A., M.Jur.(EU & Comp),
LL.M.(IMLI), LL.D. Dip.Can.(Eccles.Trib.), MNI, St.JRC.

Rescue Officer (MT)
Anthony Buhagiar, St.JRC.

Rescue Officer (Logistics)
Neville Sammut, St.JRC.

Corps Chaplain
Fr Colin Apap, St.JRC.

In 1986, Anthony The Marquis Buttigieg De Piro KStJ GCLJ (J) KMLJ FInstD MIM, was asked by the late Commander St John Ambulance Malta GC Edwin H W Borg KStJ to raise a Corps of rescue volunteers, which would be part of St John Ambulance, but separate from the St John Ambulance Brigade (First Aid and Nursing).

Commander Borg’s request to raise a Rescue Corps under the banner of St John was in order to meet the need in Malta of a support civil defence unit consisting of adult volunteers fully trained in rescue and first aid.

The first rescue courses organised for the new volunteer recruits of the newly-formed St John Rescue Corps – Malta GC, were carried out by the Corps Commander Marquis Buttigieg De Piro who was ably assisted by rescue instructors of the Armed Forces of Malta who were loaned to him by the Commander of the Armed Forces at the time, Brigadier Claude M Gaffiero KStJ, without whose clear thinking and support the Rescue Corps might have never taken off.

After five months, the Rescue Corps officers and their subordinate leaders were running the rescue courses very professionally and efficiently, to their own divisions and new recruits. Without exception, all the Commanders of the Armed Forces of Malta always co-operated with, supported and helped the St John Rescue Corps, whenever they could.

Together with the St John Ambulance Association’s Training Branch and the Ambulance Brigade (First Aid and Nursing), the Rescue Corps forms part of the St John Ambulance Malta GC and operates under the auspices of the Order of St John, of which Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II is Sovereign Head.