Village News
Community gift: a legacy of generosity
14 January 2025

In a generous act of community spirit, Warren and Justene Taylor have donated an entire ambulance to Hato Hone St John NZ.
Having spent more than 47 years of his life in the emergency services, it was a fitting tribute when Warren, and wife Justene, decided to generously donate an ambulance to the local community in their retirement. The couple, who reside at Longford Park Village, spent their married life raising their family in the local Papakura community. Their generous donation was celebrated at a special ceremony in Mount Wellington, where they were officially acknowledged for their gift to the New Zealand public.
They have since been honoured with an Order of St John Priory ‘Vote of thanks.’ So why St Johns? “St John’s ambulance is a very worthy cause. Plus, we’re oldies now, so it’s something we might get to use too!” laughed Warren. Fascinated with being a fireman as a young child, Warren served as a volunteer fire fighter for 13 years alongside his primary career as a cabinet maker. He then “graduated” to being a member of the crash crew at Auckland Airport, where he worked for 34 years.
As the Airport crash crew hovercraft driver, he experienced his fair share of being a first responder onsite at a crash, which reinforced to him the importance of the emergency services. “There was a lot of training. When the bells sounded, we had to get from one end of the airport to the other in three minutes. In my time there, we responded to six or seven incidents involving aircraft, some of which ended up in the Manukau Harbour. “I remember one aircraft taking off and going down into the Harbour. Consequently, all we retrieved from that aircraft was a seat and a wheel. Another time, a freighter plane clipped a wing and cartwheeled into the sea,” Warren reflects. Over the years, the Taylors have donated regularly to several chosen charities, but their gift to St John’s ambulance was by far, the most substantial. “Justene and I feel very proud and grateful that we are in a position to be able to do this for the community,” says Warren. They certainly should feel proud. Their amazing donation now provides a vital resource for local emergency services to help save lives, and their philanthropy will undoubtedly benefit the wider community for many years to come.