Andrew Gee (Calare, National Party, Minister for Decentralisation and Regional Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today I rise to pay tribute to true community heroes. I speak, of course, of the members of the New South Wales State Emergency Service, or SES. I pay attribute to those members across the Calare electorate.

The New South Wales SES never takes a break. It's always there on the ground, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, keeping our community safe. On 30 January this year I attended a special awards ceremony in Orange to recognise the invaluable contribution and long service of many SES units and volunteers from across the region. Ceremonies were also held in Mudgee and Bathurst. On behalf of the communities of Calare, I would like to acknowledge those who were honoured at those recent ceremonies. From the Panorama and Chifley clusters, there was David Chemello, Deirdre Cummins, Michael Oxford, Chris Abbott, Benjamin Cox, Craig Gibbons, Megan McMahon, Alan Sheehan, James Young, Cheryle Booth, Matthew McMahon, Janine Sharpe, Rebecca Cole, David Tomlinson, Gavan Ellis, David Walther, Marina Gray, Shane Bennett, Claire Bell, Wayne Bowden, Terrence Christian, Phillip Dean, Paul Dusselaar, Melinda Longmuir and Charles Stapleton. From the Mitchell and Talbragar clusters, there was: Raymond Allen, Suzanne Graham, Nancy Pemble, Darren White, Graham Potbury, James Abel, Lloyd Graham, Peter Lang, Paul O'Connor, David Smith, Trevor Barker, David Kendall, Allan Stoddart, Darren White, Kurt Andrew, Paul Allen, Felicity Cresswell, Melanie Hancock, Michelle Lyons, David Hodgen, Jorge Ramirez, Feroz Wani, Benjamin Waters, Jennifer Winsper and Wendy White. From the Canobolas cluster, there was Mareea Agustin, Jeanette Bowd, Grant Hill, James Maclean, William Rollo, Alfred Dukes, Letitia Neville, Robert Stevens, Gregory Agustin, Anne-Marie Stevens, Peter Barnes, Henry Hoswell, Robert O'Neill, John Agustin, Desmond Cassidy, Dallas Pearce and Douglas Watson.

Today this Chamber recognises the selflessness and the dedication to community to ensure that we are safe and can get through these emergencies. We say congratulations to all of those award recipients and to all members of the SES for all of the wonderful work that they do in our communities in keeping our communities safe all year round. It's not just the emergencies when they're out on calls; it's training all year round, supporting community events and supporting our communities. They are part of the very fabric of our country communities. We thank the SES for everything that they have done for us.