Putting their lives on hold to attend to the emergency needs of others is part of the job for SES volunteers, and their service to our own and other communities was celebrated at a ceremony on Saturday at the Yass Soldier’s Club.
The special State Emergency Service awards ceremony was even interrupted briefly to allow the Yass Unit Commander to assign those already dressed in the signature orange overalls to respond directly following the event to a tree-down incident.
Yass-Hilltops Local Commander Kurt Bailey welcomed everyone including those coming off the back of an overnight six-hour job.
“We don’t do it for the medals, but it is nice to be recognised for what we do,” acknowledged Commander Bailey.
The Premier’s NSW Bushfire Emergency Citation was awarded to nineteen members of the Yass unit following their nomination by the Local Commander of SES Queanbeyan-Palerang, Robert Cunneen.
The Premier’s award recognises the outstanding contribution of volunteers and service personnel who played a significant role in the emergency response effort to combat the 2019-20 bushfires.
Seven members also received the SES Commissioner’s citation for the outstanding service provided to communities and to the RFS effort during the unprecedented Bushfire season from November 2019 to January 2020.
Former Yass SES member Ursula Kempa was awarded a National Medal for her contribution in the emergency response to Tropical Cyclone Debbie in 2017 and Penny McBean, a member of the Yass unit for the past seventeen years, was also awarded the National Medal for her efforts supporting the response to the 2019-2020 fires.
“Both Rob and I had conversations with Penny throughout the fire season ‘Are you sure you want to go?’. You’re amazing Penny. I know you learnt a lot. One day you were doing admin and the next – catering manager,” praised Commander Bailey.
Yass Unit Commander Rob Bolin weighed in on the significance of Penny’s contribution.
“There was a time last year when she was going away every second week to support the fire response effort,” said Rob.
“And got married in between!” responded Penny with a laugh.
Commander Bailey also reflected that it was their third attempt to hold the ceremony with previous cancellations due to the Yass-Hill-tops cluster of units being operational in the fires and then next due to Covid.
“We have had a very busy time with fires, floods, hailstorms, searches and general call-outs over the past fifteen months.”
These included a flood event in Yass last August “where the river was the highest since the ’70s and a very severe storm that went through the outskirts of Young in early December which all cluster units were involved in for a few days,” said Commander Bailey.
Local SES members have been deployed to Bateman’s Bay, Glen Innes and Ulmarra for fire support, Cooma for fire support and a flood event, Queanbeyan Fire Control Centre which lasted for weeks, Nerriga, Ipswich Queensland, Braidwood for the Disaster Welfare Centre, Canberra for a few days for the hailstorm; Nowra, Lightning Ridge and Goodooga for flooding and Ulladulla for a storm event.
“Through this, we have all been challenged, and a lot of us have upskilled our abilities.”
Receiving the Premier’s citation were Claire Foster, Jamie Foster, Mathew Davis, David Yanik, Alex Szokalski, David Elphick, Deanne Young, Molineux, Miranda Storey, James Finniss, Carissa Thomson, Kyle Hogg, Roger Denholm, John Hedges, Jennifer Wells, Det Vogues, Jason Bell, Penny McBean and Kurt Bailey.
Queanbeyan-Palerang SES Commander Robert Cunneen thanked the Yass SES unit members for their efforts in the recent fires his area experienced and gave this speech.
A giant thank you to you who did come over whether it was one day or quite a few days. We had just over 200 volunteers from Yass, Young, Harden and Queanbeyan-Palerang clusters available and we used over a 157 of them. So, when you think about that, it was Christmas time, people with kids at home, people moving, the number of people who contributed was outstanding; something I have never experienced in 16 years of service. That was a giant part of why a recommendation went in for some sort of recognition – I felt so strongly about it. The other part is, from the RFS perspective, what we did, kept more of their fire-fighters in the field, fighting the fires and protecting properties; and they were just astounded by it.
Answering the phone, you might say ‘it’s just answering the phone’ but when it’s someone asking ‘Is there a truck coming? Am I going to be saved? Am I going to be safe?’ ‘What’s happening to me?’
On the radios, you might say ‘it’s just a radio call’, but it’s keeping aircraft going in the right direction and not crashing into each other, but also it was hearing messages like ‘I can’t save this house’ and then the same thing as the RFS try again.
That says a lot about the resilience of our people and the support we gave to the RFS – for them to do that time and time again.
Logistics, at the time you’re driving around delivering things and you might think ‘it’s only a doo-hickey or a thingy-me-bob I’m delivering, but that kept the RFS going in the field longer and longer.
Commander Cunneen also reflected upon the fact twenty per cent of that local government area was burnt, making it no surprise that the fires were called unprecedented.
Seven members of the Yass unit who helped man the Queanbeyan Fire Control Centre all did more than the equivalent of sixty hours or a full working week of 12-hour shifts. For that effort, the SES Commissioner’s citation was awarded to Roger Denholm, Penny McBean, Victoria Molineux, Miranda Storey, Carissa Thomson, Det Vogues and Deanne Young.
All the SES members who responded to the fire emergency, whether it be for one day or right up to sixty days, were nominated for the National Emergency Medal.
“You’ve had the NSW Premier recognising you, the SES Commissioner recognising you, now it will be the nation recognising you…so I wish you luck with that acknowledgment,’ concluded Commander Cunneen.
Newly appointed Deputy Zone Commander Matt Price, who oversees 16 units, responded with his thoughts on what it means for Yass Valley.
“All of the awards are about the commitment given outside of your own areas which is fantastic for the communities here as well because all of that skill and experience that you will bring to events here. We hope it never happens, but we’re prepared for it. Thank you for travelling and supporting other NSW communities but the biggest win is for your home communities,’ said Deputy Zone Commander Price.
Bob Buffington could not be present but was acknowledged for his ten years of long service to Yass SES. Penny McBean was acknowledged for fifteen years and John Hedges for 25 years.
The National Medal and 45 years of long service medal were awarded posthumously to Les Cameron, former Head Controller of the Harden Unit with the award presented by Harden’s Commander Garry Buckley and accepted by Les’ wife Sue Cameron and daughter Beth Allen.
“Les served over 45 years at the Harden unit, Les was a very community-minded person, a quiet achiever. He had a lot to do with the Men’s Shed and Fire Brigade. He also did a lot of work with vulnerable kids from the local high school,” acknowledged Commander Buckley.
“He would have been thrilled to bits. It was his life. I just supported him. I was right there beside him,” said Mrs Sue Cameron.
“He was very humble…he was always a part of everything since I was a baby really, the fire, the schools, ambulance…I was very proud,” said daughter Beth Allen.
Commander Bailey wrapped up the event by acknowledging the families of SES members that support and enable them to respond when their communities need them to.
“So thank you to all who let us go out, sometimes in the middle of the night; and allow us to have our phones turned on 24 hours a day for call outs. We really appreciate you as you continue to support us as we do the SES thing,” Local Commander Yass-Hilltops, Kurt Bailey.
