By KATH GANNAWAY
ORANGE is the new … way to say to SES volunteers “love your work”.
And Wednesday 11 May is the day to do it by wearing something orange at work or at school.
Wear Orange Wednesday has been designated as a day to recognise and say thanks to over 40,000 State Emergency Service (SES) volunteers across Australia by wearing orange.
Recent storms across the region had SES volunteers out from the early hours of the morning, for a good 12 hours in most cases – making roads and homes safe.
The volunteers from Upper Yarra, Healesville, Lilydale, Marysville and Emerald are part of an Australia-wide volunteer force of thousands of Australians who are prepared to drop everything at a moment’s notice, put on orange overalls and respond to requests for assistance from their local community.
A spokesperson for VICSES said wearing orange at work or school for just one day a year was a simple way of showing SES volunteers that you appreciate their hard work and dedication to community safety.
“Over the years, Victoria State Emergency Service has received countless messages of thanks from the community via social media, email and face-to-face from people who would like to express their appreciation for the dedication, quick-thinking and professional approach demonstrated by VICSES volunteers during what can be distressing and traumatic experiences,” she said.
One of those stories was from Jenny from Wandin North.
She wrote: “My very grateful thanks to the SES crew who attended my home in Wandin North when a gumtree fell on my roof yesterday afternoon. Watching the team secure my roof was so fascinating. I almost (but not quite) forgot that there was a gaping hole! Thanks to all your hard work I was able to sleep that night feeling safe from the elements”.
VICSES says wearing orange on Wednesday 11 May is just one way of showing appreciation for SES and that there are ways to spread that over the whole year, including:
* Send a message of thanks: post a message on social media and include the #thankyouSES
hashtag.
* Be resilient: prepare for emergencies by keeping an up-to-date emergency kit and plan.
* Become a volunteer: find out if your local VICSES unit is recruiting by visiting ses.vic.gov.au/volunteer.
* To send a message of thanks to SES volunteers during Wear Orange Wednesday, visit ses.vic.gov.au/wow or facebook.com/vicses.
