From Greg Cook President of the SESVA
Welcome to the final edition of the State Emergency Service Volunteers Association of Western Australia (Inc.) newsletter for 2023. That was a mouthful and exemplifies the year that was: jam packed, extremely busy and challenging.
For the readers outside of the current serving SES members, I take this opportunity to thank everyone in Orange, their families, and employers. Without your support, we here in WA and other states would be so much worse off from the experiences we faced and would not like to repeat. In thanking those people, we must also recognise that many others play a role—minor or
major—in maintaining the community glue that binds us together. To our elected representatives at the Common- wealth, State and Local Government levels, thank you for your support.
Your community-based SES Units rely on you all, to provide and maintain the service we provide to meet your needs in times of crisis or otherwise. These needs vary greatly from one end of the state to the other. One size and one type just do not work around Civil Defence or the other actions of the SES.
Shortly, Western Australia will have the opportunity to review the old Emergency Service Legislation and discuss how to provide the best outcomes for the thousands of communities throughout our state. I trust we can all look deeply for solutions that have been developed through the countless lessons learned and recorded. Hazard based excellence through building skill and knowledge streams in DFES should be examined closely.
The SES Volunteer’s Association will release our contribution to this process very soon, and we thank you in advance for your consideration and support. I also want to thank our dedicated project writing and research group who have worked tirelessly throughout the year on this contribution. WOW you rock me!
Our parting thoughts for 2023 are quite simple: Please stay safe, it is your responsibility for you. Communities start with one person at a time and build. Let’s build a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year together. We all look forward to meeting up again in 2024. Thank you so much for all your efforts and the faith placed in us, the SES.
Kind Regards
Greg Cook, President