Emergency medals awarded to Warragul SES members
Two Warragul SES members have been recognised for their contributions to the Black Summer fires emergency response with National Emergency Medals.
Sixteen members including Warragul’s unit controller Alan Male and Warragul volunteer Faye McLachlan were recognised at a formal event held at the Traralgon Bowls club.
The SES worked closely with other emergency services during the fires, assisting with on-the-ground operations and protecting communities.
Both Mr Male and Ms McLachlan were involved in the response in various ways and witnessed the fire’s impact on East Gippsland between November 2019 and February 2020. Five people were killed in the fire and 300 homes were destroyed.
For Mr Male, the call for assistance came on Christmas night and he was out the door on Boxing Day - he did not return home until mid-January.
“I’ve got this wonderful photo of my daughter standing at the front door with my crew bag and my smoke goggles on her head,” he said, recalling his departure.
“You just go do what you need to do.” Mr Male worked in the northeast, assisting in areas such as Corryong, while Ms McLachlan worked around Bairnsdale and later did road crash support in the Tambo Valley.
Both SES members said one thing that stood out to them from that time was the way communities that weren’t affected by the fires helped those that were.
The awards were presented by SES chief officer of operations Tim Wiebusch with other senior SES personnel attending including east region assistant chief officer Anthony McLean.
The medals are inscribed with a message from Governor General David Hurley thanking the members on behalf of all Australians.
“On behalf of all Australians, thank you for your service during the 2019-20 bushfires,” the medal read.
“The intensity of the fires, and the devastation they caused, will long be scarred into our nation’s memory. In the midst of the danger and tragedy we also witnessed the best of Australia – Individuals helping loved ones and strangers alike.”
“As a recipient of the National Emergency Medal, know that your fellow Australians are grateful for your service.”
The SES Units represented at the ceremony included: Inverloch, Moe, Morwell, San Remo, Warragul, Wonthaggi and the East region.
Ms McLachlan said their family and friends were “proud” of them, and both she and Mr Male had a number of other SES members congratulate them.
Mr Male said “for the last three years, it’s been one event after the other”, and stressed that community members needed to be prepared for spring and summer.
He said the Warragul SES will be delivering information for locals in the coming month on preparedness for weather events.