SES volunteers celebrated after year of disaster

Bert Plenkovich first joined the SES when he was a teenager. Now 84, he is among thousands who pull on orange overalls being praised across NSW on the annual SES volunteer celebration day.

When sugar cane farmer Bert Plenkovich joined the SES at 18 in 1955, the local headquarters was at a mill.

Back then they had only a switchboard and a two-way radio, but now the same building is the fully fledged base used by the SES Broadwater Unit.

Mr Plenkovich, 84, has lived by the Richmond River in northern New South Wales for all of his life and in that time has seen his fair share of floods.

Bert Plenkovich OAM, 84, has been an SES volunteer helping out during floods since he was a teen. He is one of 10,000 being praised on annual SES volunteer celebration day. Picture: Jason O'Brien.

Recalling some of his most memorable stories for the annual SES volunteers celebration day, he told of a time he and his fellow volunteers helped rescue a family of 17 from rising flood waters.

“You knew which houses would get flooded so a team would come and help with lifting up furniture,” Mr Plenkovich said.

“They depended almost entirely on NSW SES to provide for them. There were no mobile phones. We had to get there and make sure they were OK every day.”

One of the longest serving NSW SES volunteers, Mr Plenkovich’s efforts in serving his community saw him awarded an Order of Australia (OAM) in 2013.

One of the longest serving NSW SES volunteers, Mr Plenkovich’s efforts in serving his community saw him awarded an Order of Australia (OAM) in 2013. Picture: Jason O'Brien.

SES volunteers were vital in helping parts of NSW recover from severe flooding in March this year. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Dylan Coker

His dedication to helping others is something Police and Emergency Services Minister David Elliott said was common among all of the more than 10,000 people who pull on the orange overalls across NSW.

“They don’t do this because they want recognition or special commendations, but because they care about their community,” Mr Elliott said.

NSW residents are encouraged to wear orange today in a show of support for SES volunteers.