By Oliver Lees
Twelve years on from his first shift as a volunteer at the SES Sunbury Unit, Anthony White has created a legacy of commitment and inclusion.
Mr White was awarded the Emergency Services Medal as part of the Australia Day Honours, recognising his years of leadership in the community.
Reflecting on his journey within the service, Mr White told the Star Weekly he started out with a humble objective, but soon found himself pushing for greater responsibility.
“I joined mainly because my family was about to become drivers on the road, and I would never expect anyone to save my kids if I wasn’t willing to save my own,” Mr White said.
“There was also the wanting to be able to meet people, not having grown up here in Sunbury.”
Now serving as the unit’s controller, Mr White has led his peers for the past nine years.
Mr White said he has seen membership numbers grow from around 30 people when he first started, to more than 80 today.
He explained that boosting female participation was a particular focus as he planned for the future.
Of those 85 members, Mr White is particularly proud that his wife and three children have all joined the service.
“They all love it, I’ve never had a situation where I’ve forced them,” he said.
Mr White said events such as the fires of January 2020, when Sunbury Unit members contributed more than 250 days of deployment in the Gisborne area, demonstrated how important collaboration is for anyone building a career in the emergency services.
“I could not have done it without the support from the many other controllers and people in the service, who have been there for everything we’ve been able to do,” he said.
