Sunbury’s State Emergency Service (SES) volunteers will benefit from new funding from the state government’s Volunteer Emergency Services Equipment Program (VESEP).
Sunbury SES has received $3390 in the 2025–26 VESEP grants round to support volunteer training and upskilling, with a particular focus on helping new and existing members obtain heavy vehicle licences, enabling more volunteers to safely drive the unit’s fleet of rescue vehicles.
Sunbury SES unit controller Catherine Bebbington said the funding would make a real difference on the ground.
“When the pager goes off, our community expects that help will arrive quickly, day or night, in all conditions,” Ms Bebbington said.
“This VESEP funding means we can support more of our volunteers to gain their heavy vehicle licences, so we have more trained drivers available to get our rescue trucks on the road and to the scene faster.”
Sunbury SES said it responds to a wide range of incidents across Sunbury and surrounds, including storm and flood damage, road crash rescue and support to other emergency services.
“Like all VICSES units, Sunbury SES is powered by volunteers,” Ms Bebbington said.
“Investing in our training means we can continue to provide a professional, reliable emergency response when our community needs us most. We’re extremely grateful to the Victorian Government for this support and for their ongoing investment in emergency services volunteers.”
Ms Bebbington also acknowledged the broader impact of VESEP across the state.
“Right across Victoria, VESEP helps volunteer emergency services improve their equipment, vehicles and facilities,” she said.
“It’s a tangible way of backing the thousands of volunteers who give up their time with family and friends to keep their communities safe.”
