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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2020-02-06 Daily Xml
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Salisbury Country Fire Service

The Hon. Z.L. BETTISON (Ramsay) (15:42): I rise today to speak with immense pride and incredible admiration for the men and women volunteers of my local CFS. They are based in Salisbury North, and the Salisbury CFS forms part of the Para Group, which also encompasses Dalkeith, One Tree Hill, Tea Tree Gully and Virginia. The Salisbury Country Fire Service was formed in 1943, and it currently has around 35 active volunteers.

In 2018-19, the crew attended more than 215 incidents, totalling more than 6,886 volunteer hours. These statistics do not include our most recent catastrophic bushfire events in South Australia. The Salisbury CFS crew assisted with the Yorketown, Edithburgh, Cudlee Creek and Kersbrook fires, and as soon as their commitments to these areas were complete, and following a request for help, the Salisbury CFS proceeded to send four volunteers to assist on Kangaroo Island.

I think we should all be in awe of these incredibly talented, brave and honourable individuals who volunteer their time. Sometimes they are paid by their employer and sometimes not. They leave their loved ones and families to fight to keep our communities and homes safe, and despite the devastating destruction of the recent Kangaroo Island and Cudlee Creek fires, including the tragic loss of life that occurred, we continue to hear stories of the family home or business that was saved as a result of the tireless efforts of the Country Fire Service.

Our Salisbury CFS are a humble and modest bunch, so when they came to me and we were talking, I said, 'How can we help?' And they said that maybe we could get some donations towards their ration packs. When they are out in the field it could be some hours before they can access a meal, so small packs of chips, lollies, muesli bars or sultanas and either some bottled water or some Powerade would be much appreciated.

The call to action was put out far and wide and residents from not only my patch in Salisbury but much further afield began to arrive at my electorate office. They came with packages of water, boxes of chips, lollies, biscuits, muesli bars, lollipops, gingerbread and much more. Mothers and daughters, fathers and sons, families, couples and groups of workers pooled their resources as the donations flooded in. We heard from many people that this was a small but practical form of local assistance and it enabled many individuals who had also quite often donated to the bushfire appeal to feel that they could give something back to our local legends in their own way.

It was incredibly moving to see my community respond with such compassion and generosity. Once the floor of the collection room became covered with donations, my staff packed the donations into a tub and we awaited the collection from our #5108legends, our Salisbury postcode. They arrived in a truck on 10 January. Lieutenant Paul Clapp and other members of the Salisbury CFS loaded the truck with the donated goods, which they would share with other groups in the Para Group.

Following the collection for ration packs, our community also came together for a fundraiser in the Salisbury City Centre on Saturday 18 January to raise funds for upgraded equipment for our Salisbury CFS. Whilst the government provides essential equipment, most CFS crews are required to regularly fundraise to enable the purchase of upgraded equipment and support for volunteers. The fundraiser was the idea of a local business owner Mr Rik Carr, who launched his new food truck, Rik's Grill, at the event. Held in conjunction with the Salisbury Business Association, which provided face painting and a magician to entertain the children, the City of Salisbury, which promoted it, and Bickford's, who sold $2 coffees, the event raised $5,000 for our Salisbury CFS.

Time expired.

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