Northern volunteers recognised at SES Week Awards

Queensland’s State Emergency Service (SES) Northern Region members have been recognised at an SES Week award ceremony today in Townsville.

Member for Townsville Scott Stewart, representing Fire and Emergency Services Minister Jo-Ann Miller at the ceremony, said the SES Week awards provided an opportunity for the community to recognise the exceptional achievements of SES volunteers in the region.

“SES Week is a national celebration to honour the integral role of the SES in our community and to acknowledge the dedication and commitment of the remarkable people that make up this vital service,” Mr Stewart said.

“This year marks the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the SES in Queensland, and these awards are an excellent opportunity to pay tribute to the many volunteers who devote so much of their time to keeping the community safe.

“It is thanks to the hard work and outstanding efforts of volunteers that the SES is so dependable and valuable in times of need.”

The SES Northern Region covers more than 566,000 square kilometres and comprises the Townsville and Mt Isa areas. There are 36 SES Groups making up 16 SES Units in the region, and 652 active SES volunteers.

In the past year, SES Northern Region volunteers have logged almost 9,600 hours responding to calls to assist communities in their local area as well as in neighbouring regions.

The SES Northern Region Member of the Year award was presented to Leeann Mahony of the Greenvale SES Group. Ms Mahony was nominated for providing vital support to the Greenvale SES Group and other Groups in the Northern Region to become self-sufficient in training and building the capability of their members.

The SES Northern Region Operational Response of the Year award went to Taskforces Alpha, Delta and Kilo, who were deployed to assist Central Region SES in the aftermath of Severe Tropical Cyclone Marcia and were critical to providing emergency support to the communities of Rockhampton and Yeppoon.

Regional Group of the Year was awarded to Charters Towers SES Group, for their strong commitment to volunteer recruitment and growth of the SES in their community, and for efficiently meeting all activation, training and administrative requirements.

SES Week certificates were also presented to Robert Griffiths (Townsville SES Group) and Evelyn Milne-Hearne (Charters Towers SES Group) for displaying exceptional dedication to their SES Units or Groups and communities.

Mr Stewart congratulated each of the SES Week award winners, and thanked them for their service to community.

“Thank you to all our SES members and to their families and employers for supporting these extraordinary people and the work they do,” Mr Stewart said.

“SES volunteers spend many hours helping the community in times of crisis, and devote considerable time to training and building their capability.”
Certificates of appreciation from SES Central Region were presented to nine Northern Region SES Groups for their assistance in response to Severe Tropical Cyclone Marcia in February this year.

National Medals and Clasps, Meritorious Service Medals and Clasps were also presented to volunteers at today’s ceremony.

For 40 years’ service to the SES, Stanley Parsons of the Townsville City Group was presented with his sixth clasp to the Meritorious Service Medal and a 40 year anniversary plaque. Mr Parsons joined the SES, then known as the Civil Defence Organisation, in March 1972.

[ENDS] October 18 2015

Media contacts:

Brent Davidson (Fire Minister’s Office) – 0438 696 185

QFES Media – 3635 3310