The SESVA President Greg Cook, and Secretary Allen Gale ESM had the pleasure to observe and witness the conduct of the National Disaster Rescue Challenge at Kings Park over the weekend 22-23 October.
Both were also provided the opportunity to plan and run the Navigation Stand 7 during the Challenge which allowed a deeper dive into the dedication of all SES Volunteers and supporting DFES staff.
The transparency and enthusiastic leadership that resulted in a near faultless execution of the Challenge has been recognised by the competing SES Volunteers, the support and the observing SES Volunteers and distinguished local guests and those from emergency service partners in all jurisdictions outside of WA.
The feedback and positive comments from our political guests again were one of a positive impression of the organisational skills and the technical capability of the SES Volunteers.
Treasurer Robbie Palmer and Vice President Alan Hawke were also at Kings Park where they setup and manned a SES Public Awareness Stand opposite the NDRC Stand 8 which was created and run by Kalgoorlie/Boulder SES. They were assisted by a Two Rocks SES.
Kings Park was very busy over the weekend with lots of people out for a walk or a picnic and very curious about what was occurring. It was great to engage with adults and children who showed an interest in what the SES does and what the SES is capable of.
It was great to also see the support from fellow SES Volunteers and their families. with one couple coming up from Katanning to support their daughter in the Queensland Team and other family members flying over to support the partners who were competing.
The SESVA also had the opportunity to engage with various career staff from the other States and Territories, where we were able to discuss how they engage with their Volunteers, run their training and how their legislation is written to govern their State/Territory Emergency Service.
SESVA President and secretary also attended the Kimberley Region Leaders Forum in Broome on Saturday 29 October. The SESVA was the only Association that attended to support the interests of the SES Volunteers at Broome, Derby and Kununurra. The agenda included leadership topics, Incident management system overviews, presentations related to workforce management, culture, peer support, social media, volunteer retention and good debriefs, as well as service specific presentations, such as NSW Flood Deployment, Marine Incidents Turnout information and Fire Investigation.
