Congratulations to Mark Compton, Chairman of the Woolcock Board of Governors, on being awarded an Australia Day Honour, Member of the Order of Australia, for his volunteer work at St. John’s Ambulance and his support of medical research. Mark has put in many years of work in these areas and is actively and frequently involved in discussions and activities to ensure the on-going success of the Woolcock Institute.

Mark Compton has spent 36 years with St John Ambulance Australia and says "You do everything from helping people with a broken ankle to dealing with the aftermath of trying to revive a person clinically dead from cardiac arrest while his or her family is watching.” He went on to say, "You see people at a very special moment of their life and it's a very humbling experience." Mark helped out during the "devastating" Black Saturday bushfires.

His father, uncle, grandfather, wife Elizabeth and sons Michael and Daniel have all volunteered with St John, and Mark estimated that together they had clocked up "at least 140 years of service". It goes back four generations," he said. "I'd say the most important lesson I've learned is that doing something for the community is the most rewarding thing. "The return you get, which is obviously not in dollars, is that you learn so much about life, other people and yourself."

Everyone at the Woolcock Institute would like to congratulate Mark on this achievement.