The Yankalilla Ambulance team celebrated their 50^th anniversary yesterday with a visit from the South Australian Ambulance Service CEO and a barbeque and cake.

CEO Rob Elliot met some of the original team members and the current squad of ambulance officers based at Yankalilla.

The Retired Officers Association also attended and showed off a Holden Panel van ambulance to add to the history of the occasion.

When the Yankalilla service was established in 1972 users had to call the Victor Harbor station on 52 2111 to ask for an ambulance to be sent.    

The service was then run by the St John Ambulance Brigade.

The cheapest subscription to the ambulance service cost $2. 

Non-subscribers in country areas had to pay 25c for each mile they travelled in the ambulance. 

The St John Historical Society of SA maintains a museum of ambulance artefacts at 7 Arundle Road in Brighton.

If you would like to become a volunteer with the SA Ambulance Service visit their website to find what's involved.