SES volunteers: The fearless, unsung heroes who deserve our co-operation and thanks

THERE’S a group of people in the Northern Territory who battle the elements, deadly wildlife and the region’s treacherous terrain who are forgotten heroes. They’re our SES volunteers, and they deserve our praise, writes DENISE CAHILL.

NT Emergency Service’s David Travers and volunteer Brett Martin, who were involved in the search for Daymon Ness. Picture: Che Chorley

• Meet the friendly faces that come to the rescue in any emergency
• Social media posts give glimpses into final days before Daymon Ness’s disappearance
• EXCLUSIVE: Missing man ‘may have met someone’
• Case of missing Victorian Daymon Ness passed onto Criminal Investigation Branch

THERE’S a group of people in the Northern Territory who battle the elements, deadly wildlife and the region’s treacherous terrain who are forgotten heroes.

They’re SES volunteers.

These multiskilled people give their time and often put themselves at risk helping people after a storm or natural disaster, assisting at a road crash, searching for a missing person or responding to a range of other incidents.

Many of these volunteers sign up to simply give back to their community.

The Northern Territory Emergency Service is made up of 19 employees and more than 300 essential volunteers.

Daymon Ness is believed to be missing in Nitmiluk National Park.

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SES volunteers were part of the crew searching for Victorian man Daymon Ness, who went missing in the Katherine region after leaving his hotel room and heading off on a walk in Nitmiluk National Park on October 20 about 1pm.

NT Emergency Service (NTES) volunteer Brett Martin is one of those dedicated volunteers giving back to the community.

Mr Martin told the NT News earlier this week that volunteers and NT Emergency Services employees battled tough conditions, including extreme heat, snakes and dangerous crevices during the search for Mr Ness.

“The difficulty we had up top the other day was the heat was getting into the rocks and the retention is just quite incredible, there’s very rough deep (crevices), you need to beware of snakes,” he said.

“There are boulders 20-30 metres high and rock crevices everywhere. It’s difficult terrain.”

Daymon Ness with his father, William Ness. Picture: Ness Family

These SES volunteers provide hope for relatives of missing people.

Mr Ness’s parents William and Elise, who have travelled to the Northern Territory from Victoria and are currently in quarantine at Howard Springs, remain hopeful their son will be found alive, despite everything being stacked against him.

“We had such a huge team working so hard. We are so amazed with what they went through (to search for Daymon),” Ms Ness said.

The land and aerial search for Mr Ness lasted five days, but was suspended last Monday after all avenues were exhausted.

The investigation has been handed over to the Criminal Investigation Branch, who are best placed to carry on the investigation.

Being pulled out of the search without a result is no doubt traumatic for the SES volunteers, people who are not paid but give up their time and put themselves in potentially dangerous situations to help others.

Nitmiluk National Park is believed to be the place where Melbourne man Daymon Ness disappeared last week. Picture: Che Chorley

That people like Mr Ness’s parents recognise the efforts of volunteers without even meeting them, is testament to the work they put in.

The Ness family even went on to urge those heading out for walks to check in with the visitor centres at national parks to register for a walk, or to let people know where you are going.

Taking these simple precautions could save other families the heartache the Ness family is going through and give peace of mind to the dedicated SES volunteers.

Exploring in the NT comes with hazards. Hikes can be long and treacherous, and waterways conceal hundreds of dangerous saltwater crocodiles.

At the entry of Northern Territory walk trails there are signs indicating the length and degree of difficulty.

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These are not just welcome signs, they are warnings that could save lives.

For the sake of family and all those dedicated and selfless volunteers, heed the warnings, don’t take risks and always – always – make sure at least one other person knows where you’ve ventured.

Denise Cahill is the Head of News at the NT News.

Follow @DeniseCahill18