Sunbury local Catherine Bebbington was appointed as the new unit controller at Sunbury SES this month. Oscar Parry spoke with Catherine about her connection to Sunbury, her history of volunteering with the SES, and what she is looking forward to most about her new role.
What is your connection to Sunbury?
Sunbury is my home. I’ve lived here my entire life, grew up here and went to local schools, commuted out to go to university, and now I’m a volunteer here with the Sunbury SES.
What do you like most about Sunbury?
The people. Sunbury locals are friendly and welcoming. Volunteering with the Sunbury SES, I’m surrounded by highly trained volunteers who give so generously of their time to help the community every single day of the year. My friends who I’ve made in Sunbury will stick with me for my entire life.
What, if anything, would you change about Sunbury?
I like some of the changes I’ve been seeing recently – I think community connection is really important and I have really loved watching our locals work to bring back those big community events where we all get together and celebrate what makes Sunbury amazing.
What are you looking forward to most in your new role as unit controller at Sunbury SES?
I think being the new unit controller is going to be a real growth challenge … I’ve been volunteering with the Sunbury SES for 10 years now, so I’ve commanded out in the field and turned out to jobs all across Sunbury, be they trees down, stopping people’s roofs from leaking, or turning out to more serious things like car accidents. As the unit controller, being able to build on the wonderful unit that is there to continue to serve our community and help those volunteers to be even better. That’s what I’m looking forward to – the ability to build on our existing achievements and be there for the community when they need us.
What is your history with the Sunbury SES?
I volunteer with the Sunbury SES. We’re all volunteers, there are no employees in the Sunbury SES. I’ve volunteered with them for just over a decade now and it was an absolutely life-changing decision to join the SES – it has been amazing. In my day job, I’m a public servant, and being able to go out and be hands-on with the kinds of tools and equipment that we use was something completely different. And being able to help people on what might be one of the worst days of their lives or [during] the big emergencies across the state has been really inspiring – it’s definitely a good way to give your life purpose.
