Emergency Services Volunteers

The Hon. G.G. BROCK (Stuart) (15:29): Today I would like to talk about the many emergency services volunteers who serve in regional South Australia, and in particular those men and women who are serving in their particular units across the whole of the electorate of Stuart. They not only give up their own valuable time voluntarily but also, very importantly, leave their employment to go and attend to whatever emergency may occur, not only in their own backyard but anywhere in the state and perhaps sometimes interstate and overseas, where their great and valuable service is greatly appreciated. Their service is appreciated by not only the members of the unit they might be assisting but, more importantly, the communities that are involved with the emergency.

The business operators must also be acknowledged here, as at times their employees would have to attend an emergency at the drop of a hat, sometimes causing disruption to that particular business. These volunteer services will, and will continue to, endeavour to save properties, farmland and whatever area might be involved. In many cases these volunteers are also risking their lives and health by assisting those who may be in the direct line of the incident.

There was an incident just recently at the fire at the Mount Remarkable National Park, where just over 40 local brigades participated in this event over the long and hot period. I would like to acknowledge these brigades, whose volunteer members participated: Crystal Brook, Wandearah, Warnertown, Mundoora, Wards Hill, Napperby, Redhill, Koolunga, Port Broughton, Wilmington, Melrose, Port Germein, Wirrabara, Appila, Booleroo Centre, Mambray Creek, Gladstone, Jamestown, Georgetown, Laura, Gulnare, Caltowie, Narridy, Yacka, Yongala, Peterborough, Orroroo, Stirling North, Quorn, Middleback, Snowtown, Terowie, Spalding, Hallett, Whyte Yarcowie, Roxby Downs and Andamooka. Of those 40 brigades, 20 were from my electorate.

I monitored the progress of the situation at the national park and visited the ground crew at Wilmington on several occasions, where it was very evident that not only the crews from my electorate but also crews from all over regional South Australia, as I mentioned, were present as part of those 40 brigades.

Wilmington and other areas of my electorate, plus other parts of the state, have been suffering dramatically from the drought. However, the townspeople, in Wilmington in particular, were forever bringing food and drinks and other assistance for those hardworking volunteers. This just shows that country people on many occasions think about others before they think about their own needs.

Unfortunately, in circumstances like these there is always a chance of a volunteer being injured. Unfortunately, in the fire at the national park at Mount Remarkable, Michael Wigg from Wilmington sustained some injuries and had to be flown to Adelaide for treatment. Very thankfully for him and his family, the injuries were able to be overcome.

To show my gratitude to those dedicated volunteers in my electorate, I sent a congratulations letter to each of the 20 brigades in my electorate. Sending the congratulations letters is very small in comparison to the time, the suffering and also the heartbreak that the families and the volunteers had to go through to fight those fires. In many cases the fires were in very inaccessible locations, and at times they had to have the water tankers flying in. From memory, there were 70 each day that had to be refuelled at either Port Pirie or Port Augusta. It is an issue that we need to be very aware of in particular, in addition to the challenges that our regional people are facing with the drought and also other things, such as the loss of water pressure.

Again, I cannot speak highly enough about the great and dedicated volunteers in all avenues of emergency service across all the regional areas in South Australia. I have said this before: people in regional areas have to not only go out to bushfires but also go out with the SES—they have to go out and attend an accident on the highway and things like that. On many occasions those people go out there and know that, when they get there, they cannot be sure of what they are going to confront or what is going to come before their eyes. In many cases it is their friends, and sometimes it has been their family.

I will relate this again: years ago, my late wife was driving from Port Pirie to Crystal Brook on the Port Broughton Road. There was a head-on crash there, and several emergency services went out there. Even though it is many years ago, those people still have that memory in their minds—and it is always there. So we need to be very aware of the challenges and also the mental health and the emotional stress that these volunteers experience.