Trucks big and small raising Bellarine SES profile

A MINIATURE State Emergency Service (SES) truck will be used as an awareness tool by the Bellarine’s SES unit to engage with students and their parents.

The miniature truck was constructed by the dedicated volunteers at the Ocean Grove Men’s Shed and both groups could not be happier with the end result.

“The Men’s Shed did a really good job and they even managed to add in a few things like a first aid box and a fire extinguisher,” SES Bellarine member Ian Rabone said.

“Shed president Geoff Andrews in particular had some skills in cabinet making doing things like this, He also improved the design a bit and did the wiring, so it came up really well.

“All of our members who have come through over the past couple of weeks have had a look and they were all really impressed with what they had done.”

Community engagement continues to remain a key pillar of the SES and the miniature truck will assist the Bellarine unit in reaching the public at both schools and community events.

Outings conducted by the SES will allow volunteers to touch on several topics with the public such as the numerous possibilities the SES provides, membership options, when to call the SES and when not to call.

It was a no-brainer according to the Men’s Shed to help one of the region’s most relied-upon assets when they were approached to undertake this project.

“When it was finished, it gave us great satisfaction,” Men’s Shed manager Rodney Long said.

“We do things for churches and other institutions, so we were more than happy to add this one to our list.

“We finish a job when the job is done, and we move on to the next one. We are actually preparing to do another one of these miniature trucks for one of the local fire brigades.”

The SES Bellarine unit will look to attend future community events in towns such as Drysdale, Portarlington, Queenscliff, and Barwon Heads using the miniature SES truck as a form of advertising for younger children.

The Bellarine SES unit has a volunteer base of 40 people, a large response truck, a small response vehicle, two four-wheel drives, a storm trailer, a lighting trailer, and an All-Terrain Vehicle servicing the region from Leopold to Queenscliff.

For more information on the Bellarine’s SES unit located on 702 Grubb Road, Drysdale, head to www.bellarineses.org.au.