Zoe Moffatt
Sunbury State Emergency Service members were awarded the National Emergency Medal earlier this month, for their work during the 2019-20 bushfires.
On Sunday, March 5, 17 members of the Sunbury SES were awarded this medal by the Governor-General David Hurley, to celebrate and recognise their service in the emergency.
Unit controller Anthony White said the Sunbury SES members were essential in helping to contain the bushfires.
“We are incredibly proud of the contributions of the Sunbury unit in the face of the one of the most significant [emergencies] in our states history,” Mr White said.
“Our people, when called upon, responded time and again faced danger with courage, pain with compassion and served faithfully those who depended on them.”
During the bushfires, SES volunteers and staff from Sunbury and across Victoria helped to set up and manage the response at various incident control centres.
Deputy operations controller Daniel Edwards said Sunbury SES members responded to fires across the state.
“More than 36 members [were] deployed 90 times to communities across Victoria from Mallacoota to Sale, from Bairnsdale to Bendoc,” Mr Edwards said.
“There was not [a] community in eastern Victoria not visited by a Sunbury SES member.”
In December 2020, the bushfires were declared a nationally significant emergency, allowing SES staff and volunteers to be nominated for a National Emergency Medal to recognise their work.
Sunbury members to receive the medal include; Jarrod Bell, Jacinta Hall, Alan Kuras, Kevin Muslayah, Benjamin Stanford, Anthony White, Richard Ashby, Catherine Bebbington, Melissa Dale, Nicole Dale, Alexander Hark, Angela Lane, Nicholas Luke, Christopher Mitchell, Jason Segrave, Kelly Strange, and Brandon Warren.
