Urgent call for volunteers as Campaspe Shire SES units face shortage

By Jemma Jones

Jun 13, 2024

**Kyabram SES members Richard Pattenden, Rebecca Baker and Renee Webb are joining a campaign for volunteers across the Campaspe Shire region.** Photo by Contributed

SES units across the Campaspe Shire region are facing a shortage of volunteers, and they need your help.

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The Kyabram and Rushworth units are seeking volunteers eager to dedicate their time and receive nationally accredited training to assist the community during emergencies.

The Victoria State Emergency Service (VICSES) is a volunteer organisation with 150 units across six regions, dedicated to minimising the impact of emergencies by providing urgent assistance and enhancing community safety.

Kyabram SES unit controller Paul Octigan said that numbers for volunteers have dwindled in past years following COVID and the recent natural disasters in the area.

“At the moment we only have 19 volunteers — but out of those you’d lose five that aren’t operational,” Mr Octigan said.

“We find that most units are the same, that’s why we’re all doing this recruitment campaign,” he said.

Deputy controller Gail Octigan said Kyabram is not the only unit in need of volunteers.

SES units from Rushworth, Rochester and Echuca are joining Kyabram to promote the Campaspe Cluster Recruitment Campaign in the hopes of attracting volunteers to the four units.

“Rochester and Echuca lost a lot of volunteers after the floods because they were just drained, and some moved out of the area for obvious reasons,” Mrs Octigan said.

The units are offering volunteer positions for people of all capabilities, whether you want to be a part of on-the-ground emergency management, or work behind the scenes in community engagement or administration.

“Every position in our unit is important, for example, over the Christmas period, in a two- to three-week period, we had 83 callouts for assistance,” Mr Octigan said.

“So not only do we need to get them assistance, we also need someone to report all of that and put all the information into the system.”

**Kyabram SES unit controller and deputy controller Paul and Gail Octigan at the recent Anzac Day event in Kyabram** Photo by Contributed

Volunteers that choose to be on the operational side of the unit, however, can receive specialised training to prepare them for emergency and rescue situations in their weekly Wednesday training nights.

“In our headquarters, we’ve got a roof structure set up where we train people how to get up onto the roof,” Mr Octigan said.

“We also have training to use a chainsaw, and to drive a four-wheel drive, and have a boat on the Waranga Basin where our members are trained up and taught how to operate the boat.”

Mr Octigan said they are also working towards having Kyabram members be road-crash rescue accredited.

Junior SES units in Kyabram and Rushworth are also looking for volunteers between ages 15 and 18 looking to learn invaluable skills, and make a few friends along the way.

“We’ve had junior members that started when they were 16, and are now qualified to operate a chainsaw, four-wheel drive, and qualified to drive the boat — so, they’re all advantages that young ones can get out of it,” Mr Octigan said.

The Kyabram SES unit is holding a volunteer drive and open day on Saturday, July 27, from 11am to 3pm with support from the Victorian Police, ambulance services, and the rapid relief team.

To express your interest in becoming an SES volunteer, email kyabram@ses.vic.gov.au or visit ses.vic.gov.au/volunteer