WHETHER it’s a tree down, a motor vehicle accident, a bushfire or even a loved family pet having fallen down a mine shaft, for 50 years, Ballarat and rural residents have been able to call on the State Emergency Service for help.
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The SES will next weekend celebrate its half century in Ballarat with a special celebration dinner with many former members invited to commemorate the special milestone.
Leonie Sharpe has been a volunteer for 25 years
“I initially joined because I was keen to get involved with a new group of people and for a change be the student, not the teacher, because I’m a teacher by trade, I lived and breathed school and I wanted to do something for me,” Ms Sharpe said.
“It didn’t take me very long to start instructing here as I was also a first aid instructor, which is one of my real passions. You’ve got to be multi-skilled, thick skinned and prepared to get wet and cold at times and get out of bed at any silly hour.
“It’s family to me. We don’t have to be here 100 per cent of the time, we are volunteers afterall. But training activities help to keep your skills up and you have fun and meet new members.”
The Ballarat unit was formed in 1968, 18 years after Victoria formed its Civil Defence Organisation which was partly formed to combat the threat of nuclear war.
Equipment was best described as “primitive” with stretchers, first aid kits, ladders and rescue gear that was stored at the Ballarat Ambulance Station.
Communications equipment were at volunteer homes until the station was built in Gillies Street South.
Heather Turner has volunteered for 19 years.
“You mostly find that particularly in a smaller country town someone always has one leg in the CFA and one leg in the SES,” Ms Turner said.
“I’m out on the trucks a lot of the time but I’m also the co-ordinator for the Driver Reviver program and any public relations such as helping Victoria Police with one way screws on numberplates and all sorts of other things.
“It becomes a way of life after a while, you get addicted. Because I’m retired from my working life in an operating theatre, so it’s an extension on that for me.”
Ms Sharpe said one of the most memorable events in her time was a search at Scotsburn which lasted 14 days with the missing person found alive in the bush.
She said it was a search that stuck in her memory as many had given up hope of finding the man. His young children wrote a heartfelt thank you note which she still keeps to this day.
Ms Turner said another standout event was the Black Saturday bushfires in 2009.
“During those fires there were no questions asked, people just went there was no need to ask, it was such a dire situation,” she said.
Deputy controller Craig Elliott said the unit was looking forward to its special celebration.
“We have a dinner every year, but this one is a bit more special,” he said.
“We’ve invited some ex-members, politicians, the Mayor, there’s a lot of people who are all coming along.
“It is to celebrate the members but it’s also to celebrate 50 years of providing to the community. It really is a special effort to have been helping for that long.
“There will be awards, national medals, certificates for years of service and maybe some life memberships as well. If you counted every person who the unit had had an impact with for 50 years it would be huge.”
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