Beechworth SES: Desperate call for volunteers in northeast Victoria

SES units fear not enough young people are volunteering to save communities as dwindling numbers stretch resources across the state.

SES units across Victoria are pleading for volunteers to save emergency services that have spent decades rescuing thousands across the state.

With more than 3400 members older than 35 and 1600 aged between 15-34, units fear not enough young people are putting their hands up.

In western Victoria, in Stawell, an ageing member base and an increase in visitors because of a newly opened trail, has meant responding to call-outs has been difficult.

While in northeast Victoria, the Beechworth Unit only has 10 members left.

And as the state faces its biggest year of call-outs in history, unit controller Charles Dean says it is in dire need of volunteers.

Mr Dean said there were a number of reasons his unit had been struggling; age, members moving towns or for health reasons.

“Our biggest difficulty is covering during the day because people are at work,” he said.

“Some work in Beechworth, but some work in Wodonga or Milawa.”

Mr Dean, who owns the local bookshop, takes his uniform to work and if he gets a priority one call-out, he closes and races to the scene.

He says he understands how important the SES is after his son Ben, who has down syndrome, went missing on his farm for 20 hours in early 2018. 

Mr Dean joined not long after that.

He said volunteering was his way to give back to the workers who saved his son.

“You get to be around a great bunch of community minded people, and you get a great set of skills that are very difficult to get anywhere else,” Mr Dean said.

Beechworth SES Unit volunteers helping when a car rolled over in late January.

Stawell SES unit have almost 30 members in their unit, but say they could still use more to keep up with the constant demand of the Grampians National Park, where people often go missing, get stuck or become injured.

Brody Stewart, 25 and a police officer by day, said Stawell are always looking for new members.

“Inevitably, our older members are getting older,” Mr Stewart said.

“We’re always on the lookout for younger members ... you need those younger members coming through so there are people to pass those skills and experiences onto.”

Mr Stewart joined the SES at 19 and said the past two years have seen the largest amount of call-outs in history.

“When the demand increases, you need to increase supply and unfortunately that’s not really happening.

“Even though you’ve got 20-30 members, people work or they’re away so it’s always a reduced number that’s available.”

Brody Stewart (pictured) said some of his unit’s older members are starting to “back off”, but they’ve still got a solid amount of younger volunteers.

Although some SES units across Victoria are struggling for numbers, community spirit in the northeast is alive and well.

More than 100 volunteers “spontaneously” appeared after Albury was struck by flash flooding and storms in late January.

Albury SES Unit Commander Curtis Kisher said the Victorian-NSW border town had a record amount of rain, but the response from his community was inspiring.

“Within 45 minutes we had 100 volunteers come help us fill sandbags,” Mr Kisher said.

“After an hour we had to send some away. We have not that many volunteers in a long time.

“To have that many volunteers come out in that amount of time is just marvellous. It’s just really, really good for our community.”

Local businesses Wodonga Sand and Soil, Hutchinson Civil and Peards Landscape Supplies also donated sand and a trailer to the SES unit.

Nearby, Wangaratta has recruited five new members since it’s new facility opened last year and Chiltern SES has grown its membership from eight to 28 members in the past three years.

Interested volunteers can join the SES via www.ses.vic.gov.au/join-us/volunteer