Four members of Oberon SES were presented with awards recently to celebrate many years of service to the community.
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Craig Gibbons and David Walther were presented with awards for 20 years service and Alan and Janine Sharp were recognised for giving 30 years service.
The Sharps were two of the founding members of Oberon SES.
The presentation was made during the opening of the new extensions at Portland SES Headquarters recently.
Among those attending were the NSW Commissioner Adam Dent, Member for Bathurst and Minister for Local Government Paul Toole and Lithgow mayor Maree Statham, as well as SES officials.
Mr Gibbons said that of the 40 people presented with awards, four were from Oberon.
He said he joined the SES because as a member of the Rural Fire Service he was right next door and liked the work they were doing. Also, the two emergency services organisations complement each other.
He has stayed in the SES because he loves it.
“We are all very close friends and socialise together a lot,” he said.
“We are like a family.”
Mr Gibbons said Oberon SES has 20 active members and numbers are building again, particularly in the last 12 to 18 months.
He said Oberon SES is a little different in that it is an accredited land rescue unit and an accredited vertical rescue unit. It is also a road crash unit.
“I love it – I’ve stayed in the SES for 20 years and I have no intention of going anywhere,” Mr Gibbons said.
“I enjoy doing rescues and I like helping people at the worst time of their lives.
“There is real satisfaction there.”
The group has training every Tuesday evening from 7.30pm at its headquarters at the corner of Albion and North streets.
Anyone interested in joining can phone 0407 077 052 or just come along to one of those training sessions.
