Regional Exercise September 15, 16 & 17 2023
SES Units from the Midwest-Gascoyne took the opportunity once again to come together to uphold the long-held tradition of taking on a challenge to learn and practice skills — the SES Regional Exercise.
From Friday the 15th to Saturday the 18th of September, SES volunteers from the Eneabba Unit, Moora Unit, Geraldton-Greenough Unit, Carnarvon Unit and Kalbarri Unit joined together for the 2023 Midwest-Gascoyne (MG) Regional Exercise in and around Kalbarri. Association President Greg Cook and Secretary Allen Gale ESM also joined in the activities for the weekend.
The Wagoe campsite facility about 20 kilometres south of Kalbarri was the base for the weekend’s activities, with many of the exercises conducted on the coastal cliffs and beaches, as well as the bank and in the water of the Murchison River. The ICV from Geraldton, along with its crew, operated for the duration of the exercise to support effective command, control, coordination and, most importantly, the safety of all involved.
Participants were treated to a nice hot dinner sitting around a campfire on the first evening – a nice meat and vege stew cooked in the huge camp oven. Round Robin training kicked off the early challenges on Saturday morning followed by a range of scenarios Saturday afternoon, fellowship Saturday night around the fire and more realistic scenarios Sunday morning.
The cliffs and beaches proved an ideal location for Volunteers to practice vertical rescue, off-road driving, first aid/casualty transfer techniques, rescue from heights, radio communications, and land search and rescue, in rugged sandy conditions.
The river provided the scene for realistic rescue scenarios on water, land and river searches and rescue on the banks and an island, as well as first aid/casualty transfer and radio communications scenarios.
Wagoe is a popular reef fishing spot, which offers chalet-style accommodation as well as caravan bays. SES Volunteers stayed in chalets and had the option to stay on until Monday to enjoy this unique location.
Local Manager Steve Cable, Kalbarri Unit, and Trevor Patton, Karratha Unit, once again set creative scenarios for the regional exercise based on their extensive operational and training experience, ensuring another well-organised and successful event that left everyone with a feeling of “this is what it is all about.”
